103-2000 LTC
,
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
http:\\ci.miami-beach.fl.us
L.T.C. No. 103-2000
LETTER TO COMMISSION
May 12,2000
TO:
Mayor Neisen 0, Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
Lawrence A. Levy I (\ /'
City Manager 'llI/P
FROM:
SUBJECT: SOUTH BEACH BURGLARY RING
This Letter to the Commission is to advise the Mayor and Commission of the Police Department's
investigation and arrest of 32 persons who were part of a statewide burglary ring,
In August 1999, Miami Beach Police Officer Ira Peskowitz was dispatched to a multiple burglary
call at the Cadet Hotel, located on James A venue in Miami Beach, In the course of his investigation,
Officer Peskowitz learned that three females who apparently committed the burglaries were still on
the premises. He arrested them and also recovered a large amount of stolen property from a number
of other hotel burglaries. The three suspects were taken to the Police Station and interviewed by
Detectives from the Police Department's Gang Squad,
The interviews revealed that these suspects were part of a group of burglars who worked out of the
South Beach area, specializing in hotel burglaries. The interviews also revealed that the group's
modus operandi was to steal a car in South Beach and travel to a predetermined resort destination
such as Key West, Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale. Once there, they would check into the hotel under
assumed names, While the guests of the hotel were out of their rooms, the group would burglarize
their rooms, particularly seeking to steal car keys. After they were done, they would leave the area
in a newly stolen vehicle, leaving the car they stole in Miami Beach. Once back in the South Beach
area, the group would fence the stolen property in Miami and Miami Beach,
In October 1999, five suspects were arrested in Miami Beach driving a stolen vehicle from Orlando.
One of the main suspects ofthe group, Lazaro Paez, was driving the vehicle at the time of the arrests.
Detectives from the Gang Squad interviewed Paez and learned that the information received from
the first three female suspects in August was just the tip of the iceberg. Besides corroborating all of
the information previously learned, Paez implicated a number of other persons and confessed to
committing more than 500 burglaries in various cities in Florida.
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Letter to the Commission
May 12,2000
Page 2
Based on this new information, an ad hoc Task Force comprised of Police Officers from various
jurisdictions was formed. The Task Force was further able to link the group to crimes through victim
identification, fingerprints, and suspect statements. As information was developed and shared,
surveillance was established on identified group members. On January 19,2000, three suspects of
the group under surveillance were observed by the Miami Beach Police Gang Squad Detectives
committing seven burglaries at two different hotels. The suspects were arrested.
The investigation concluded that the group consisted of fifteen core members and seventeen
associates. Of the thirty-two suspects, seven will be charged with racketeering, conspiracy to
racketeer, dealing in stolen property, burglary and grand theft. The others will be charged with an
array offelony charges.
To date, 250 burglaries statewide have been cleared, In addition, members of the group have
confessed to more than 1000 burglaries statewide. Approximately $300,000 in stolen property has
been identified and more than $200,000 in stolen property returned to rightful owners. Nine stolen
vehicles have been recovered. Lastly, stolen property has been recovered from pawnshops in four
separate counties and a number of businesses.
This case succeeded largely because of the efforts and commitment given by the various state and
local law enforcement agencies involved, which included the Daytona Beach Shores Police
Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department,
Hollywood Police Department, the Key West Police Department, the Miami Police Department, the
Miami-Dade Police Department, the State's Attorney for Miami-Dade County, the Miami Springs
Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the North Miami Police Department, the
North Miami Beach Police Department, the North Bay Village Police Department, the Orange
County Sheriff s Office, the Orlando Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff s Office. the
Office of the State Wide Prosecutor, the Selma Police Department (Selma, North Carolina), the
Surfside Police Department, and the Sunny Isles Police Department.
Please join me in congratulating our police officers and those of the other jurisdictions for their hard
work and dedication in this investigation,
LAL:~':SR:PS:MMS
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