A 51 year old Romanian, Elena Vicu, together with other three co-nationals, accused of robbery in San Felice d'Ocre in L'Aquila, a region seriously affected by the April 6 earthquake, were acquitted on April 10.

Three other Romanians, Daniel Ioan Vicu, Stefania Popa and Ioan Popa were wrongfully accused. The four were arrested on Friday morning, accused of robbing houses affected by the earthquake after they have been spotted leaving a house in San Felice d'Ocre, where Elena Vicu used to work as a housekeeper.

The three were accused of stealing 100,000 euro which the Italian Luigi, for whom the Romanian woman was working, kept in the house. Immediately after their arrest, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi expressed his satisfaction of the rapid response of the local police forces.

Berlusconi declared that the four Romanians will be immediately sent to trial and set an example for others thinking of committing crimes in Italy. Elena Vicu claimed her innocence when she was arrested together with the other three people.

However, the investigation proved that the money were untouched and none of the jewelery was missing from the house, either. Elena Vicu, quoted by ANSA declared that they entered Luigi's house with his consent, to take their belongings.

Nonetheless, even though the Romanians were acquitted, the woman's son, Daniel Ioan Vicu was condemned to six months of prison because he owned a baseball bat.