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Two Charged in Hialeah Jewelry Thefts Involving Door-Holding Scheme March 12, 2026 (0 comments)
Hialeah, FL--Authorities arrested a man and a woman on March 9 following a series of thefts targeting local jewelry stores. Jennifer Izquierdo, 43, and Steven Louis Romero, 39, face multiple charges, including grand theft, organized fraud, and conspiracy to commit an organized scheme to defraud, after allegedly using a recurring tactic to steal merchandise.
[Representative image via iStock.com/spukkato]
According to arrest reports from NBC Miami, the pair's scheme involved Romero entering a store as a prospective customer while Izquierdo followed shortly after. Once Izquierdo was buzzed inside, she would reportedly hold the door open, allowing Romero to flee with unpaid items. This method was allegedly used on Jan. 23 at Estrella De Oro and again on March 5 at Cuban Dan Jewelry, with each incident involving approximately $13,000 in stolen gold.
The NBC Miami report states that investigators identified the suspects through surveillance footage and witness testimony. Romero allegedly fled the scenes in vehicles registered to his relatives—a red Nissan Sentra and a gray Chevrolet Malibu—leaving Izquierdo behind to appear uninvolved. Records further indicate that the stolen items were pawned for thousands of dollars on the same days the thefts occurred.
Police took the suspects into custody during a traffic stop, where both individuals reportedly provided full confessions, as noted by the NBC Miami report. The two were subsequently booked into jail.
More details with an incident video are available on NBC Miami's website.