SoCal man pleads guilty to stealing $1.8M in items from couple then trying to sell them in Miami
Authorities say he stole suitcases full of items at a luxury hotel then went to Miami to try to sell it all.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A Beverly Hills man who authorities say stole suitcases full of luxury items from a couple's hotel room then went to Miami to try to sell it all pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge.
Jobson Marangoni De Castro, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the Justice Department, the crime happened on May 10, 2023.
The couple traveled to Beverly Hills from Brazil to attend a fashion event.
Authorities said De Castro took an Uber to the couple's hotel, tricked a hotel employee into giving him a key to their room, and stole six suitcases - all while the couple was away having dinner.
The suitcases contained jewelry, clothing, and accessories worth approximately $1.8 million, the Justice Department said. When the couple returned to their room, they immediately notified hotel staff of the theft.
Seven days later, authorities said De Castro went to Miami and messaged a buyer there on Instagram.
"De Castro told the buyer he wanted to sell jewelry - a diamond necklace and luxury watch - but he did not have papers for them because he had found them in a box belonging to his late mother," said the Justice Department in a statement.
The jewelry matched the description of what was taken from the couple, according to court documents. The following day, the buyer wired De Castro $50,000 for the jewelry, which De Castro brought to the buyer's store in Miami.
The name De Castro given to the buyer was "Jobs Marangoni," which authorities said was the same name he used for his Uber account.
De Castro has been in federal custody since August 2023. A U.S. District Judge scheduled an evidentiary hearing for De Castro on April 30 to determine the loss amount.
A sentencing hearing is expected to be scheduled in the following months.
The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated the incident.
