Miami Airport janitor charged for stealing $60k watches from passenger

Miami Airport janitor charged for stealing k watches from passenger

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A Miami International Airport janitor has been arrested after stealing $60,000 worth of Rolex watches from a passenger, according to police officials.

Alberto Rabanal, 57, has been charged with two counts of second-degree grand theft, and faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $10,000.

According to an affidavit of Rabanal’s arrest by the Miami-Dade Police Department, the passenger arrived at Miami International Airport on Thursday night from Lisbon, Portugal.

The passenger cleared customs and was waiting for a ride share at the curb shortly after midnight when he set the duty-free bag containing two Rolex watches on the ground next “to a metal pillar and garbage can.” He walked away, leaving the bag unattended for a short-period of time.

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According to CCTV footage reviewed by detectives, Rabanal, who was working that night, saw the bag and looked into it. He removed a black sweater that was covering the watch boxes and took the bag to “an area where he can’t be seen by witnesses,” where he stole the watches, the affidavit said.

Rabanal then threw the duty-free bag into a trash can, the report said.

Detectives found the watches in Rabanal’s home, in his master bedroom dresser on Monday. Rabanal confessed to the robbery and was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without further incident.

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