Police in Hialeah have arrested and charged three people who they say took advantage of the community's elderly population by distracting them and stealing their expensive jewelry and watches.
Hialeah Police said Avrinte Miclescu, Olanda Miclescu and Cristina Sirbu are some of the many suspects who have been caught on surveillance footage carrying out these distraction thefts.
“I'm happy to say that we have finally taken these people off the streets, and these are just the ones responsible for five of the crimes that we were investigating in Hialeah. We’re still looking for more," Hialeah Police spokesperson Eddie Rodriguez said in a news conference Friday.
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The suspects would approach elderly victims outside of their homes and start conversations with them, police said. They would then place a fake gold chain around the victims' necks, saying they were selling them.
When the victims said they were not interested, the suspects would remove the fake chain, but in the process, take the victims' gold chains with it, police said. The victims were unaware of what happened until they noticed their missing jewelry later.
The suspects also allegedly used children for their scams, police said.
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"They had with them a 10-year-old boy," Rodriguez said. "In this case, they would tell people that they were trying to sell that chain for money so they can buy medicine, gasoline, or tickets to return back home."
The suspects, who are from Romania, allegedly stole from victims throughout South Florida and even made their way up to New York, Rodriguez said.
Anyone who believes they were a victim of these suspects should call Hialeah Police at 305-687-2525.
