A 27-year-old Kissimmee woman, Katherine Coromoto Angulo Rivera, is under arrest, once again, in Miami-Dade County for allegedly conducting a jewelry-cleaning scam targeting the elderly. Authorities stated that a 70-year-old Miami-Dade victim recognized Angulo Rivera from a news report and subsequently contacted them, leading to her arrest and a photographic lineup identification earlier this week, according to Local 10 News.
Angulo Rivera, who had previously been arrested for a similar scam earlier in April, has been implicated in several incidents where she allegedly defrauded elderly individuals by offering to clean their jewelry. In what appears to be a repeated scheme, she convinced victims to briefly part with their valuables for cleaning. Unfortunately, the jewelry would be surreptitiously replaced with fake costume pieces and a melted rosary, NBC Miami reports. This method was used to steal nearly $50,000 in jewelry from one individual in Miami's Flagami neighborhood, according to authorities.
During her court appearance, Angulo Rivera's bond was set at $15,000, and she was ordered to have no contact with the victim, as per NBC Miami. Jail records indicate she is facing charges that include organized fraud of $20,000 or more, but less than $50,000, and exploitation of the elderly. She is currently held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with the bond listed as "to be set."
Police estimate the total losses suffered by the victims across all incidents to be roughly $80,000. Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers is actively encouraging anyone who believes they might have also been a victim of Angulo Rivera's scam to come forward and contact them at 305-471-8477, as Angulo Rivera herself has declined to speak with detectives without a lawyer present, Local 10 News reported.
Authorities are cautioning the community to be vigilant and to thoroughly check the credentials of individuals offering services that require the entrusting of personal valuables, in order to prevent falling prey to similar fraudulent schemes.
