Man, woman accused of robbing Hialeah woman of cash, jewelry
MIAMI - A man and a woman are facing several charges including the exploitation of an elderly person after police said the pair robbed a woman in Hialeah.
Authorities say that on November 30, at around 2 p.m., Milena Rojas, 39, and David Agudelo, 32, approached the 75-year-old victim as she was walking home from a grocery store in the 6000 block of West 14th Lane.
Investigators said they told the victim that they had won the lottery and would give her the winning ticket in exchange for money.
"The subjects acted in concert in attempts to defraud the victim in a scam commonly known as pigeon drop or lottery scam. During the scam, the female subject asked the victim if she could use her restroom. Both subjects then arrived at the victim's residence, while the male subject waited in his vehicle," police said.
The arrest report said that once inside the home, Rojas approached the victim from behind, "pressed an unknown object on her back and demanded all her jewelry."
Police said that the victim complied and "surrendered approximately $2,000 worth of jewelry."
The victim was then forced back outside and into the awaiting vehicle, where she was driven to her bank in Hialeah, where she was ordered to withdraw all her money, approximately $1,200, according to the arrest report.
The victim was then driven to another home and made to ask for $1,000.
At that point, police said, the suspects fled with the victim's money and jewelry.
Meanwhile, the victim had to walk back home where she contacted authorities.
Authorities were able to gather video footage from the victim's house showing the suspect's vehicle, eventually effecting a traffic stop of the vehicle.
Later, the victim would be presented with a six-photo lineup and she identified Agudelo as the male suspect.
Through investigative means, police were also able to locate the female suspect, who was later identified as Rojas.
Agudelo and co-defendant Rojas were transported to the Hialeah police station for formal questioning.
Rojas provided a recorded statement and both were charged and transported to TGK.