U.S., Romania probe organized crime

BUCHAREST, Romania, May 19 (UPI) -- The United States and Romania are committed to working together to fight international crime, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip said in Bucharest.

As an example of the two countries' cooperation, Filip noted U.S. and Romanian law enforcement officials worked together in a probe of an international organized crime ring. Speaking during a news conference in Bucharest, the federal prosecutor said the U.S. Justice Department brought racketeering and other charges against 38 people living in the United States and Romania, unsealing the indictments Monday.

The cases "demonstrate the close cooperation our two countries have developed to fight international organized crime," he said.

The cooperation will be ongoing, Filip said.

"(We) are learning from each other as we jointly help to protect our citizens and people in other countries from this sort of theft and crime," he said. "This kind of coordinated response is absolutely vital to our fight. We look forward to working together in the future."