Alleged Thief Apprehended at LAX: Accused of Pawning Stolen Goods
By Dolores Quintana
A Beverly Hills resident made an appearance in federal court on August 23 in response to a criminal complaint alleging that he pilfered jewelry, clothing, and accessories worth over $1.8 million from individuals at a Beverly Hills hotel in May and subsequently journeyed to Florida to vend the stolen items.
Jobson Marangoni De Castro, aged 37, stands charged in a complaint filed on Monday with interstate transportation of stolen property. He was taken into custody on Monday evening at Los Angeles International Airport and is anticipated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit accompanying the complaint, two victims, both Brazilian nationals, traveled together to Beverly Hills on May 5 to participate in a fashion event scheduled for May 9. On the night of May 10, De Castro purportedly utilized an Uber ride to reach the victims’ hotel. He is alleged to have deceived a hotel employee into providing him with access to the victim’s room, which he used to pilfer six suitcases while the victims were dining elsewhere.
These suitcases contained jewelry, clothing, and accessories valued at more than $1.8 million. Upon their return that evening, the victims discovered that all six of their suitcases had disappeared. The hotel staff subsequently reported the theft to law enforcement.
De Castro then journeyed to Miami, where, on May 17, he reportedly contacted a buyer via Instagram. In his communications, De Castro expressed a desire to sell jewelry, specifically a diamond necklace and a luxury watch. He claimed not to possess documentation for the items, asserting that he had discovered them in a box formerly belonging to his late mother.
The jewelry in question closely matched the description of items stolen from the Beverly Hills victims just days earlier, as outlined in the complaint. On May 18, the buyer wired De Castro $50,000 in exchange for the jewelry, which De Castro purportedly delivered to the buyer’s store in Miami.
The name “Jobs Marangoni” provided to the buyer matched the name associated with De Castro’s Uber account, according to the affidavit.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint consists of allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, De Castro could face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department are jointly conducting the investigation into this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Sarah S. Lee from the General Crimes Section will prosecute the case.
