Cleaning gig leads to felony theft arrest, police say
Maria Esther Hernandez faces a charge of second-degree felony theft from an elderly person over $10
By Mauricio Maldonado
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Florida (WFOR) — A 58-year-old woman was arrested Monday after authorities said she stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from a 79-year-old client she met through a neighborhood social media app.
Maria Esther Hernandez faces a charge of second-degree felony theft from an elderly person over $10,000.
According to a police report, the victim hired Hernandez for a cleaning job after seeing her post on Nextdoor on Feb. 6.
The victim paid Hernandez $125 via Zelle. The two met at a physical therapy clinic in Miami Beach and then traveled to the victim’s Bay Harbor Islands residence.
After Hernandez finished cleaning, the victim discovered her jewelry was missing. She then attempted to contact Hernandez but was unsuccessful.
Detectives later discovered Hernandez had pawned 15 gold rings at a Miami Beach pawn shop on Feb. 7 and 8, receiving $3,400.
The victim identified the rings as her missing jewelry.
Hernandez confirmed to detectives that she had cleaned the victim’s residence on Feb. 6 but denied knowing the whereabouts of the missing jewelry.
Hernandez was arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
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