Where did a Beverly Hills thief take $480,000 of diamond goods? An Aventura pawn shop
A thief who ripped off almost an estimated $2 million of goods from Brazilian guests at a Beverly Hills hotel brought two pieces of diamond jewelry appraised at $484,000 to a high-end Aventura pawn shop.
Jobson Marangoni De Castro aka “Jobs Marangoni” got $50,000 from Diamond Banc Aventura, 19790 West Dixie Highway, on May 18 of last year. De Castro will also get federal prison time after pleading guilty in Los Angeles federal court last week to interstate transportation of stolen property.
Diamond Banc Aventura Market Director Xammany Vongratsamy directed Miami Herald questions about the purchase of stolen goods to Diamond Banc Vice President Kyle Cook. Cook had yet to return a phone message from the Herald.
As for the 38-year-old De Castro, his sentencing will occur after an April 30 evidentiary hearing on the property value.
BEVERLY HILLS THIEF
What follows comes from the criminal complaint:
On May 5, the couple whom De Castro victimized checked into room 222 at The Peninsula Beverly Hills, where the cheapest room for two adults runs $985. They planned a week-long stay around a May 9 fashion event.
De Castro ate dinner at the hotel bar on May 9 and charged the meal to the couple’s room by writing the names of the man and woman on the receipt. He returned the next day at 5:55 p.m. in an Uber.
The FBI special agent who wrote the complaint said thieves and fraudsters often keep profiles that include Social Security numbers, birthdates, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers and alien registration numbers of potential victims.
This could give De Castro what he needed to fool a front-desk clerk at The Peninsula when he “fraudulently claimed he was a guest staying in Room 222 and he had left his key and personal items in the room. After asking security questions, which De Castro was able to answer, the clerk gave De Castro a key to Room 222.”
With one of the couple napping in the room, De Castro left and came back at 8:16 p.m. A humanempty room greeted De Castro, who then emptied the room of six suitcases, five black Tumi suitcases and a silver Rimowa carryon bag. He used an Uber to ferry himself and the suitcases away.
A list that Beverly Hills police received from the victimized couple put the suitcases alone at $6,000; a Flavia Vetorasso diamond necklace at $200,000; other jewelry at $300,000; a white Chanel dress with embroidered silk Jacquard at $14,900; and $285,000 of other clothes and shoes.
A more detailed appraisal by Brazilian high-end jewelry designer Flavia Vetorasso Sciarra placed the white gold multi-shape diamond necklace with 35.24 carat diamonds at $395,000 and the total value of all the stolen pieces at $1.479 million. The victim’s attorney turned over that as well as a certificate of origin from Swiss watchmaker Chopard and a Chopard retailer’s $89,400 appraisal for a white gold Chopard L’Heure du Diamant watch.
The total estimated value of the stolen property was $1,844,615.
AVENTURA ANGLE
De Castro arrived in Miami on May 12, and slid into the Instagram DMs of Diamond Banc Aventura, “Aventura’s Premier Jewlery Buyer & Lender” it brags on its website. De Castro dangled that he had a “40 ct” necklace to sell.
On May 18, “De Castro
... told Diamond Banc that he was in South Beach, that he wanted to sell the jewelry, and that he did not have papers because his mother passed away and he had found the necklace and watch in her safe box,” the complaint said.
De Castro said he was hoping to get “100k” for the necklace. Diamond Banc told him to bring the goods in for in-person inspection. Using the name “Jobs Marangoni,” De Castro showed up at Diamond Banc and was wired $50,000 later that day.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander S. Gorin.