A Beverly Hills man is accused of stealing $1.8 million worth of jewelry, clothing, and accessories from two guests at the Peninsula Beverly Hills in May and then trying to sell the pilfered goods in Miami.
Jobson Marangoni De Castro, 37, has been charged with interstate transportation of stolen property, according to a complaint filed on Aug. 21 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
De Castro was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week and has also appeared at his preliminary hearing. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted. De Castro is a Brazilian citizen living in the United States as a legal permanent resident.
An affidavit sworn by FBI Special Gary Wallace supporting the complaint provides details on the alleged series of events leading up to De Castro’s arrest.
It also states that De Castro is a suspect in a related theft that took place on April 27 at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel. In this incident an estimated $36,000 worth of jewelry, designer clothing, suitcases and cash were stolen from hotel guests.
According to the affidavit, the Peninsula victims, both of whom are also Brazilian nationals, traveled together to Beverly Hills on May 5 to attend a fashion event scheduled for May 9.
The alleged theft occurred on the evening of May 10 when De Castro acquired a key to their hotel room from an unsuspecting staff member at approximately 6:07 p.m.
De Castro told the staff member he was staying in their room and successfully answered all of the security questions. De Castro allegedly used the same strategy to gain access to the Beverly Wilshire hotel room.
After obtaining the Peninsula room key, De Castro entered the victims’ hotel room, but promptly left after discovering that one victim was sleeping in the bedroom. De Castro then left the hotel at around 7 p.m. and returned a little over an hour later when the victims were out for dinner.
Taking advantage of their absence, De Castro made off in an Uber with six suitcases belonging to them. Surveillance footage from the Peninsula shows De Castro entering the hotel, obtaining the key and exiting with the suitcases, the affidavit states.
These suitcases held an assortment of jewelry, clothing, and accessories collectively worth more than $1.8 million. This includes a diamond necklace worth $395,000 and a luxury watch worth $89,400.
The theft was discovered later that night when the victims returned to their hotel room at around 9:05 p.m. Hotel staff then contacted the Beverly Hills Police Department and alerted them of the alleged burglary and theft.
The night before the incident, De Castro dined at the hotel bar and charged his meal to the victims’ room by writing their names and room number on the receipt. The victims neither knew De Castro nor authorized any of his actions, according to information provided to local law enforcement.
De Castro then traveled to Miami and on May 17, initiated contact with a potential buyer through Instagram and claimed to possess jewelry of great value, including a diamond necklace and a luxury watch. He told the buyer that the items lacked proper documentation because he found them in a box that belonged to his late mother.
The description of the jewelry closely matched the items stolen from the Beverly Hills victims a few days earlier. On May 18, De Castro received a wire transfer of $50,000 from the buyer as payment for the items. De Castro used the name “Jobs Marangoni” for both his Uber account and
during the transaction with the buyer. BHPD found that De Castro was listed in the DMV’s registration system with a residence address on South Rodeo Drive. This address matches the location where De Castro took his Uber rides to and from the Peninsula Hotel.
A statement to the Courier from Offer Nissenbaum, managing director and spokesperson for the Peninsula Beverly Hills, noted, “The Peninsula Beverly Hills is committed to the safety, security, and well-being of all its guests and staff. Regrettably, two of our guests became victims of a theft which occurred on May 10, 2023. We are grateful to the Beverly Hills Police Department, and the FBI for their impressive detective work, which has led to the arrest of the perpetrator of this crime. We have and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement in this matter. We cannot comment further due to the ongoing investigation.”
As of press time, the Beverly Wilshire has not responded to requests for comment. The investigation into this matter is being jointly conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Beverly Hills Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah S. Lee from the General Crimes Section is handling the prosecution of this case.
