LOS ANGELES
Federal officials announced Wednesday that a Beverly Hills man allegedly stole more than $1.8 million in jewelry, clothing, and accessories from victims at a hotel in Beverly Hills in May.
According to officials, Jobson Marangoni De Castro traveled to Florida to sell the stolen goods.
De Castro, 37, is charged in a complaint filed Monday with interstate transportation of stolen property. He was arrested Monday evening at Los Angeles International Airport.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, two victims – both residents of Brazil – traveled together to Beverly Hills on May 5 to attend a fashion event scheduled for May 9.
On the evening of May 10, De Castro allegedly traveled by Uber to the victims’ hotel, tricked a hotel employee into giving him a key to the victim’s room, and – while the victims were away having dinner – stole six suitcases belonging to them.
The suitcases contained jewelry, clothing, and accessories worth over $1.8 million.
Later that evening, the victims returned to their hotel room to discover all six suitcases were missing. The hotel staff then notified law enforcement about the theft, officials stated.
De Castro then traveled to Miami and, on May 17, messaged a buyer in Miami on Instagram.
De Castro told the buyer that he wanted to sell jewelry – a diamond necklace and luxury watch – and that he did not have papers for them because he had found them in a box belonging to his late mother.
According to the complaint, the jewelry matched the description of that stolen from the victims in Beverly Hills a few days earlier.
On May 18, the buyer wired De Castro $50,000 for the jewelry De Castro allegedly brought to the buyer’s store in Miami.
The name De Castro provided to the buyer was “Jobs Marangoni,” the same name he used for his Uber account, the affidavit alleges.
De Castro faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah S. Lee of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.