A gay Romanian couple seeking asylum from persecution have been found guilty, along with other family members, of a $100, 000 bank card scam across the North Island. Costica Bursuc and Tony Costache and three family members observed bank card pin numbers used by elderly women and shortly afterwards pickpocketed their cards and emptied their bank accounts. The extended family was on a series of day leaves from the South Auckland processing centre which houses refugees. Bursuc's lawyer says his client is seeking asylum in this country because homosexuality is illegal in Romania and he also has gypsy origins. The entire family has been jailed for between two and three years and all face deportation when released.