Miami home cleaning crew really cleaned up, stole valuables

SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. - A South Miami homeowner says she feels “betrayed” after paying $700 to have her marble floors cleaned and then seeing the workers on surveillance tape stealing valuable items from her house, reports CBS Miami.

“I knew these guys for 7 years. They came to my house once a year. I trusted them,” Sylvia Perez told the station.

She said her wallet, eye glasses, keys and a Cartier watch, among other items, were stolen from her home.

“I went to work and I left them doing their work and apparently that’s not all they did,” said Perez. “They ransacked my house. You can’t trust people to come to work at your house. You need to stay home. You need to leave someone there. You basically can’t leave these days.” 

Surveillance video from inside the house that was released by South Miami police shows the workers rummaging through a pantry cabinet, a refrigerator and kitchen drawers while Perez was at work on Nov. 29, 2013.

Perez had checked her surveillance tape after noticing a vase was missing from her home, according to CBS Miami..

South Miami Police Sergeant Henry Guzman says police this week arrested 51-year-old Joel Reyes, the owner of Stone Restoration and Cleaners, and an employee, 24-year-old Oscar Gonzalez. Both are charged with grand theft, reports the station.

“It looks like the owner of the business is teaching his subordinate what to do. They are reaching in to remove items and then putting everything back where it was so the homeowner doesn’t know it’s been moved. They are doing things very methodically and moving items and taking photographs. We were worried they might come back at a different time and rob the house,” Guzman said.

Police say there is a possibility that the same marble floor cleaners have targeted other customers. Anyone who thinks they also may have been victimized is asked to contact authorities.