Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
HAMMOND, La. (WGNO)— A total of 11 people spent their Mardi Gras behind bars after their involvement in a theft ring.
On Feb. 19, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Chief Jimmy Travis announced four people were arrested for a pickpocketing scheme during Mardi Gras festivities. Deputies responded after receiving an alert of a lost phone from the “Find My Phone” app.
Investigations led detectives to a short-term rental complex in Tickfaw, La. A search warrant for the residence was obtained and detectives recovered 40 cell phones and arrested:
- 24-year-old Geinier Acevebo-Jimenez
- 26-year-old Jean Paul Sabogal-Angortia
- 31-year-old Bridgette Solorzano-Rodriguez
- 36-year-old Yudi Tatiana Solorzano Sanchez
Further investigations led to the discovery of more individuals involved and on Feb. 20 a second search warrant was obtained for another apartment at the same complex. Detectives found an additional 122 cell phones and arrested seven others:
- 30-year-old Kely Yojana Forero-Mendoza
- 24-year-old Paula Daniela Canaria-Villamil
- 33-year-old Paola Fernanda Consuegra-Gavlis
- 30-year-old Jhon Alexander Flores-Munoz
- 26-year-old Yuli Oney Gutierrez
- 31-year-old Ronald Steven Carvajal
- 47-year-old Jorge Jimenez
All subjects were booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail. Deputies are still searching for one man wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation. Deputies also seized a vast amount of evidence during both operations.
federal agencies confirmed all of the identified individuals are members or associates of a large Columbian theft ring operating in the United States.