News writer
For weeks, a Miami burglar thought he had cracked the code to the perfect heist — breaking in through rooftops and making off with lottery tickets and cigarettes. But his so-called winning streak recently came to a crashing halt.
The man was caught on surveillance video trying to cash in those very tickets he stole. Police were able to track him down and now he is behind bars.
Always using the same m.o.
Around 3:30 a.m. on February 5, the suspect, 54-year-old Daniel Perez, allegedly broke into Sapir Market, located on Southwest 16th Street and 22nd Avenue in Miami. The store's owner, Assaf Alfoqahaa, told WSVN that the store's alarm system called the cops, and they came.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they didn't see any signs of forced entry. However, they checked the roof, and that is when they found a large hole in the roof, along with a crowbar and hammers, police said.
Miami Police Officer Michael Vega told WSVN, “He always uses the same m.o. He always goes in through the roof, cutting a big hole in the roof. [He] goes into the business, and he goes for two items: lottery tickets and cigarettes.”
Scratch-off tickets track down the suspect
Thanks to those Florida Lottery tickets that Perez allegedly took, detectives were able to track him down. Vega said the tickets have a tracking system. Because of that, he said, “If they're a winning ticket, and you go cash it somewhere, we'll know that these are the stolen tickets.”
That is exactly what Perez did, as he was caught on surveillance video cashing them in in Allapattah. Police were able to track him down on Monday, and he was taken into custody. Vega said he had cigarettes with him, and he had some lottery tickets on him.
Not his first robbery
As Vega said before, Perez had the same m.o., meaning this wasn't his first robbery. Detectives said they were able to link him to several other rooftop burglaries in the area dating back to January 11 — which includes one at Cloud Smoke Shop on Southwest Eighth Street.
Perez appeared in court on Wednesday, where he now faces multiple charges, including burglary, grand theft, and criminal mischief. During his court appearance, a judge ordered him to stay away from the Dollar Plus Mini Mart.
He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade and was being held without bond. Perez was out on a felony bond for a separate incident when he was arrested on Monday.
Fifth suspect arrested in Alabama
Lottery USA reported earlier this week about a $200K lottery scam ring taking place in Alabama. Authorities announced that four Jamaican nationals were arrested in connection with the lottery scam ring.
Now, the FBI has announced that a fifth suspect has been arrested after a foot chase. In total, FBI detectives are searching for 10 suspects in total, with five of them now being arrested.
The suspects allegedly received over $200,000 in over 100 shipments of cash from victims across the country after telling the victims they had won the lottery and needed to pay “taxes” on these fake winnings. The authorities said the victims were contacted by either email or cold calls.
Enjoy playing the Florida Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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