California man admits stealing $1.8 million in luxury items from Beverly Hills hotel, trying to sell them in Miami

LOS ANGELES — A Southern California man admitted Tuesday to stealing nearly $2 million in jewelry, clothing and accessories from guests at a Beverly Hills hotel, then traveling to Florida to sell the stolen property, federal prosecutors said.

Jobson Marangoni De Castro, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement .

De Castro targeted two victims, both residents of Brazil, who traveled together to Beverly Hills to attend a fashion event last May, according to the release. They took with them six suitcases filled with jewelry and high-end items worth about $1.8 million, according to court documents.

De Castro tricked a hotel employee into giving him a key to the victims’ room and stole all of their suitcases while they were dining, prosecutors said.

Investigators said De Castro then traveled to Miami, where he messaged a potential buyer on social media, saying he wanted to sell a diamond necklace and a luxury watch, but that he had no papers for them because he found them in a box belonging to his deceased. mother. The next day, the buyer wired $50,000 for the jewelry, which De Castro took to the buyer’s store in Miami, investigators said.

The jewelry matched the description of items stolen from victims in Beverly Hills and De Castro was arrested, according to court documents.

De Castro, who has been in federal custody since August 2023, was ordered to appear for an evidentiary hearing on April 30 to determine the amount of the loss. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months.

The FBI and Beverly Hills police investigated the case.