LOS ANGELES – A Southern California man on Tuesday admitted stealing nearly $2 million worth of jewelry, clothing and accessories from guests at a Beverly Hills hotel, then traveling to Florida to sell the stolen goods, federal prosecutors said.
Jobson Marangoni De Castro, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
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De Castro targeted two victims, both residents of Brazil, who traveled together to Beverly Hills to attend a fashion event last May, the statement said. They brought with them six suitcases filled with jewelry and high-end items worth about $1.8 million, according to court documents.
De Castro tricked a hotel employee into giving him a key to the victims' room and stole all their suitcases while they were at dinner, prosecutors said.
Investigators said De Castro then traveled to Miami, where he messaged a potential buyer on social media, saying he wanted to sell 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. The next day, the buyer wired $50,000 for the jewelry, which De Castro brought to the buyer’s Miami store, investigators said.
The jewelry matched the description of the items stolen from the victims in Beverly Hills, and De Castro was arrested, according to court documents.
De Castro, who has been in federal custody since August 2023, was ordered to appear for an April 30 evidentiary hearing to determine the loss amount. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the following months.
The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated the case.