Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Uber driver accused of robbing passenger
Victim says ride from airport ended in theft at home
An Uber driver is accused of following a fare into his Plantation home and stealing his gun, cash and other belongings, police say.
Mark Taiclet, 48, told police he has no memory of what happened at his house on Jan. 30. He had flown from New York to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and hired the ride-hailing service.
An email from Uber showed that a driver named Brandi picked him up. Taiclet told police he believes he was drugged, according to an incident report. But police say they have no proof that happened.
In home surveillance video released by police Thursday, Taiclet is seen at 2:25 a.m. shaking hands with a woman outside of his house. She waits while his garage door opens. As Taiclet lifts two bags, he appears to be unsteady. She puts her hands on his back and then follows him inside
the home.
Plantation police say the woman in the video is Brandi Leigh Begerow, 33, of Hialeah.
Begerow can be seen on the surveillance video carrying items from the home to her car, which she eventually backs into the garage, police said. She spends four hours at Taiclet’s home and as she drives off into the sunrise, the garage door is left wide open.
Taiclet told police he woke up about 3:30 p.m. that day to find his house had been rummaged through. Missing: A handgun taken from beneath his mattress; a miniature digital video camera, a wallet with cash and a safe, all valued at $1,660, according to a police report.
A passenger who hires an Uber driver through a cellphone app is given a photograph of who will pick him or her up, and also receives the make and model of the car and its license plate number.
“It is an odd opportunity to commit a crime like that when your information is recorded on the Uber app, along with your pictures,” Detective Phillip Toman said Thursday. “It’s definitely a different kind of case. We have not seen a lot of cases like this in Plantation.”
When called Thursday, Taiclet declined to comment about the incident.
An Uber spokeswoman said the company takes reports of criminal allegations seriously.
Upon learning of the incident from Taiclet last week, the company said it removed Begerow’s access to the app, which means she won’t be driving for the company in the future.
“We work with law enforcement to provide them with information they’re seeking to assist with their investigations,” the spokeswoman said.
Founded in 2009, the Uber service can be hired in more than 450 cities, in 74 countries and has 1.5 million active drivers who provide more than 5 million trips each day, on average, the company said.
Uber’s rules require drivers to have a record free from felony criminal convictions for seven years before their application date. Broward County relies on Uber to do those checks, and applies the same standard for those who want to drive taxis.
In 2003, Begerow was convicted in Miami-Dade County of felony cocaine possession, and her sentence of probation ended in 2005, court records show.
The company wouldn’t say when Begerow began her career with them, but said the offense was old enough, beyond “the look back period,” to allow her to apply to drive.
Uber says a vendor screens driver applicants who submit a Social Security number and driver’s license. Those documents are compared to local, state and federal criminal databases, court records, sex offender registries, terrorist watch lists and other sources.
Begerow was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of armed burglary and grand theft of a firearm. She is being held without bond in a Broward County jail.
The stolen weapon, a black, 9 mm Ruger pistol, has not been recovered, Toman said.
Police ask anyone with information about the handgun or the case to call Broward County Crime Stoppers, at 954-493-8477. The organization accepts anonymous tips and pays up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest.