Authorities in Florida have announced charges against 10 members of a sophisticated Miami burglary ring, who they say used Instagram and high-tech surveillance to target the rich and famous, including New York Yankees star Aroldis Chapman.
According to investigators in Miami-Dade County, the linchpin of the entire criminal enterprise was 30-year-old Xandi Garcia, who was already facing separate charges for allegedly stealing a safe containing valuables worth up to $1.7million from the hotel room of celebrity jeweler Eric Mavashev on the day of Super Bowl LIV.
The 10 alleged members of the ring, eight of whom have been arrested as of Tuesday, are facing a slew of charges, including racketeering, conspiracies, burglary, and grand theft.
Police in Miami have charged 10 people, among them convicted felon Xandi Garcia, 30, and his Instagram model girlfriend, Maybel Sanchez (right), with operating a sophisticated burglary ring
Garcia is said to be the leader of the criminal enterprise, which also included his mother, Mirta Lora, and his friend Daniel Pacheco
Garcia’s mother is accused of laundering money for her son’s criminal enterprise.
The Miami case calls to mind the infamous California ‘Bling Ring,’ which made headlines a decade ago and inspired an eponymous film directed by Sophia Coppola about the exploits of fame-hungry teenage thieves who used the Internet to track the whereabouts of celebrities, and then burglarize their mansions.
The Bling Ring’s criminal enterprise netted $3million in cash and valuables, much of it coming from the home of socialite Paris Hilton.
Miami cops began investigating Garcia in July 2018, when he was arrested for allegedly operating a marijuana growhouse.
Garcia ended up pleading guilty and was sentenced to probation, but the investigation continued.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Garcia’s role as the leader of a well-organized burglary ring came to light after the lead investigator assigned to his case searched through his phone, which was found to contain ‘volumes of information’ related to both past burglaries and plans for future burglaries.
The data discovered on the device included, among other things, photos and videos of Garcia and his team casing future victims and their homes; images of GPS tracking devices; photos of cars and tag numbers, as well as text message exchanges discussing burglaries,
Mark: Sanchez and his associates allegedly had their sights set on the Davie, Florida, home of New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who has been known for flashing his watches and jewels on Instagram (left and right)
‘Social media was an important tool in the gathering of information by this criminal enterprise prior to the burglaries,’ Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle stated. ‘They extensively reviewed social platforms to determine what valuables, such as jewelry, expensive watches, designer handbags & designer shoes may be on-site.’
According to police, Garcia’s girlfriend, Sanchez, stalked potential targets on Instagram, paying special attention to photos showcasing their valuables.
Fernandez Rundle said after identifying a target, Garcia and his crew then would place GPS tracking devices on the person’s car to monitor their whereabouts and mark the locations of their homes for future burglaries.
Investigators say that Sanchez and his associates had their sights set on the Davie, Florida, home of New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who has been known to flaunt his baubles on his Instagram page, which is followed by more than 620,000 users.
On the night of Super Bowl LIV, Garcia allegedly broke into the South Beach hotel room of celebrity jeweler Eric Mavashev and stole a safe containing up to $1.7million worth of baubles
For an unknown reason, Sanchez’s ring never followed through with the Chapman burglary.
While Garcia was under surveillance in early February, investigators learned that he was spotted at the Seybold jewelry exchange in Miami, trying to offload a custom-made ring.
Before long, detectives learned that the ring had been stolen on February 2 from the South Beach hotel room of Eric Mavashev, known professionally as ‘Eric the Jeweler,’ along with other high-end adornments that were stored in a safe.