CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - A caretaker is accused of stealing pricey jewelry from an elderly couple in Coral Gables.
Francisco Castillo Lumbi appeared in bond court Wednesday after being charged with grand theft and exploitation of the elderly.
Officials said Lumbi, 36, stole $100,000 worth of jewelry from the couple he was paid to be a caretaker for.
Lumbi was hired as a live-in caretaker for a couple in their 80s, and at some point after he was hired, the elderly victims noticed large amounts of their jewelry missing from their home in the Old Cutler Bay gated community.
That’s when they became suspicious of Lumbi and put hidden cameras their bedroom, and that’s when they caught the him in the act.
“These are videos that shows the man actually going through the mother’s drawer next to her bed, taking the jewelry out and literally putting it in plastic bags while wearing rubber gloves, and then it all disappears,” Michael Catalano, the family’s attorney, said. “It’s just horrible to take advantage of old people like this.”
They then went to police, and Lumbi was arrested and confessed to his hefty heist, admitting that he sold several pieces of jewelry and sold a ring for $270 to a stranger.
Now as the man they trusted remains locked up, Catalano said he deserves whatever punishment comes his way.
“It’s kind of like when your family dog of 10 years bites you. You just don’t expect that,” Catalano said. “They fed this man. They treat him like he was a son, and this man did this horrible thing to take advantage.”
The judge granted Lumbi $200,000 bond and must surrender his passport.
He was also given a stay away order from the victims and their families.
Lumbi is now in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on unrelated immigration charges.
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