Orson Mozes Arrested in Florida - and RELEASED - TWICE!!!

Crime Tracker Alert: Most Wanted Criminal in SWFL?
Posted: Dec 24, 2008 9:44 PM EST
Dec 24, 2008 09:44 PM EST
Updated: Dec 26, 2008 8:09 AM EST
Dec 26, 2008 08:09 AM EST

On Fox's "America's Most Wanted," John Walsh tracks fugitives. But not everyone is brought to justice, like Orson Mozes. He's wanted in Santa Barbara County, California for running an adoption scam and stealing at least a million dollars from dozens of innocent people.

"I don't think any words could give it justice," says Dawn DeLorenzo of New Jersey. She says she's one of Mozes' victims. "We first came into contact with Orson Mozes when we decided in April of 2006, after a few unsuccessful fertility treatments, to look into adoption," explains DeLorenzo. Dawn and her husband say they gave Mozes' agency over $26,000 in fees to adopt three orphans overseas in Kazakhstan. The couple went abroad and spent thousands more, but never got their money's worth. The adoptions fell through and so did their dreams. "You start imagining your future together with that child," laments DeLorenzo.

So where is Orson Mozes? "He's most likely somewhere in Florida," says Criminal Investigator Norma Hansen of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office. More Specifically, he could be somewhere in South Florida or Southwest Florida. "Up until a couple of days ago we weren't even really sure if he was alive or still in the country," explains Hansen. Using the alias "Jack Rose," Hansen discovered Mozes was arrested in Collier County in November for having a fake driver's license and fake social security number. Despite his felony warrant in Santa Barbara County, he was able to bond out and walk the streets. Hansen says she doesn't know how he was able to slip through the fingers of law enforcement. "Not being law enforcement in Florida, I don't know what the procedure is before someone's released- if they check their fingerprints."
Investigator Hansen also found out Mozes was arrested just last Sunday in Miami for petty theft. Just like Collier County he was able to bond out of jail.
Hansen says, "It's very frustrating for me, but more so for all the victims."

As for Dawn DeLorenzo, she has mixed feelings. She explains, "We're very happy to know that he's still in the country. (But) disappointed that for some reason he was allowed to go. I don't know what happened there- who dropped the ball, but I'm sure that they're going to get him."

If you see Orson Mozes or know his whereabouts, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office wants you to call police immediately. He is not considered armed or dangerous. He is considered a flight risk.

Posted By: Rosemary Connors
rconnors@fox4now.com