Sarasota police link local theft to career criminal
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
SPD
What began as a petit theft has led Sarasota Police Department to helping capture a career criminal.
Margarita Elena Urriola Maldonado, 52, of Chile, is a suspect in coordinated pickpocketing and credit card fraud attempts, along with two other unidentified suspects.
Maldonado was arrested on Jan. 2, following a traffic stop in Osceola County. Additional charges are pending from the Sarasota Police Department.
On Dec. 26, a petit theft was reported at a business on St. Armands Circle involving three suspects. Surveillance footage shows the three suspects targeting a mother caring for her newborn and carefully selecting a table next to her. When the mother stepped away, one suspect removed the victim’s wallet from a purse hanging on the back of the chair while the other two acted as lookouts. The three suspects then quickly left the area.
Using surveillance images, Sarasota Police officers leveraged the resources of the Real-Time Operations Center (ROC) to develop a timeline of events and contacted Bradenton Police Department. Officers there reported a similar theft involving the same three suspects later that day.
ROC analysts found posts on Facebook showing three similar suspects on camera in Boca Raton the following day stealing another wallet. With assistance from the Boca Raton Police Department, the suspects were later observed attempting to use stolen credit cards at an Apple store.
“You can tell by the techniques being used and how in sync these three suspects are working together. In one case you see the woman trying to cover her hand with a scarf as she sneaks her hand in the purse while the others serve as lookouts,” said John Lake, Manager of the Sarasota Police Department Real Time Operations Center.
Maldonado has a criminal history that includes fraudulent use of identification, credit cards, grand theft and money laundering in Utah, California, Ohio and New York.
While the incident was initially believed to be a misdemeanor petit theft, further investigation revealed the value of the stolen wallet and the attempted credit card transactions could result in up to four felony charges.
After Maldonado’s arrest in Osceola County, officers recovered two items of clothing that connected the suspect to the theft in Sarasota.
Detectives are still working to identify the two remaining suspects as this case remains an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Sarasota Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 941-263-6070 or you can remain anonymous and call Crime Stoppers of Sarasota County at 941-366-TIPS (8477).