Millions of dollars in jewels and designer clothes stolen from guests at a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills

37-year-old Jason Marangoni De Castro appeared in federal court in Los Angeles after it is alleged that he stole more than $1.8 million worth of jewelry, clothing and accessories from a Beverly Hills hotel in May.

After the robbery, De Castro traveled to Florida to sell the stolen goods. According to a court statement, two of the victims are residents of Brazil and had traveled together on 5 May to attend a fashion event that was scheduled to take place four days later. On the night of 10 May, it has been alleged that De Castro took an Uber ride to the victims’ hotel in Beverly Hills and tricked an employee into giving him a room key.

De Castro took the opportunity to steal six suitcases from them that were in the room whil;e the victims were having dinner. In those suitcases were jewelry, clothing and accessories valued at more than $1.8 million. When the victims returned from dinner, they realised that the suitcases had disappeared and the hotel staff notified the authorities about the theft.

On 17 May, De Castro traveled to Miami and sent a message to a buyer on Instagram. He told the buyer that he wanted to sell a diamond necklace and a luxury watch, but he did not have the documents because he had found them in a his late mother’s box. The jewelry matched the description of those stolen from the victims in Beverly Hills a few days earlier, according to the complaint.

The next day, the Miami buyer wired De Castro $50,000 for the jewelry, which he allegedly brought to the store. The name he provided to the buyer was “Jobs Marangoni,” the same name he used for his Uber account, the statement notes.

How long could De Castro be jailed for?

If convicted, De Castro would face a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in federal prison.