Berks man draws jail in King of Prussia theft

NORRISTOWN » A Berks County man is behind bars for conspiring with three unidentified people to steal more than $8,000 from a business associate during what police alleged was a staged robbery outside a King of Prussia casino.

Luis Anthony “Due” Navarro, 40, of the 1600 block of Crowder Avenue, Cumru Township, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11 ½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit theft in connection with the September 2016 incident in the parking lot of the Radisson Hotel in King of Prussia.

Judge Thomas C. Branca, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Navarro to complete three years’ probation following parole, meaning Navarro will be under court supervision for about five years.

The judge also ordered Navarro to pay $8,200 in restitution to the theft victim, a Blue Bell man.

An investigation began about 3 p.m. Sept. 5, 2016, when Upper Merion Township police responded to the 1100 block of First Avenue for the report of a robbery during which a handgun was displayed, according to the criminal complaint. A Blue Bell man told arriving police officers that he was just robbed by Navarro, a business associate who he had known for a little over a year, according to the arrest affidavit.

The victim told police he buys excess unused diabetic test strips from Navarro on a weekly basis and then resells them to a wholesaler in Florida, according to court papers. A typical transaction, according to court papers, involved about 100 boxes of diabetic test strips for which the victim would pay Navarro $1,500.

On Sept. 5, Navarro allegedly contacted the victim to inform him that he had 200 boxes of test strips to sell for the agreed upon price of $8,200, according to the criminal complaint filed by Upper Merion Detective Jerome T. Staquet.

“This was the largest transaction that has taken place between (the victim) and Mr. Navarro. It was set up to be cash on delivery,” Staquet alleged, adding the meeting was set for 2:45 p.m. in the parking lot of the Radisson Hotel.

During the meeting, Navarro placed a large, sealed cardboard box in the rear passenger compartment of the victim’s vehicle and then took the $8,200 from the victim, detectives alleged. The victim opened the box and observed it did not contain diabetic test strips but a blanket and two pillows and the victim and Navarro then exchanged words, according to the arrest affidavit.

At that time, two unidentified males, one of them pointing a black handgun, approached the victim’s vehicle and took the cash from Navarro’s hands. Navarro then took the box containing the blanket and pillows and fled toward the entrance to the hotel, detectives alleged.

During the investigation, detectives reviewed security surveillance footage from the Valley Forge Casino which depicted the two unidentified robbers in the company of Navarro and an unidentified female in the common areas of the casino a short time before the meeting with the victim.

Following the theft, the two unidentified robbers ran to a BMW vehicle where the unidentified female made an exchange with one of the men and later was observed in the casino lobby meeting with Navarro, detectives alleged.

When he was questioned by detectives, Navarro claimed he was a victim and didn’t know anything about the robbery plan.

“There are too many inconsistencies in the story and the video,” Staquet alleged.

Detectives alleged Navarro “set up the robbery,” enticed the victim to the meeting and intentionally deceived the victim into believing he was receiving the test strips, only to be “robbed” by unknown subjects.

“Unfortunately for Mr. Navarro, he did not account for the multiple cameras that caught Mr. Navarro in the company of the ‘actors,’” Staquet alleged.

According to court records, no one else was charged in connection with the incident.