Watch CBS News

Suspected Miami Beach Rolex Bandit Busted

MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) - A woman accused of drugging a tourist and then stealing his $10,000 Rolex has been taken into custody.

The suspect, 22-year-old Angela Marie Flanagan, is accused of stealing three watches worth $70,000 from three victims.

CBS4's Peter D'Oench reports that it was revealed in bond court that the City of Miami may have two additional cases against her as well.

In bond court, the state said she was a flight risk and was involved with a grand theft case before she was arrested on the latest cases and extradited to Miami.

There was also testimony that her husband is a Mexican national who is in Arizona for methamphetamine trafficking and that he is also a gang member.

There was also testimony that Flanagan was detained by the Department of Homeland Security when she was a juvenile for allegedly trafficking Mexicans in to the U.S. illegally.

Circuit Judge Renathan Francis set bond of $77,500 on the charges against her in the three cases. She faces charges including burglary, grand theft and water poisoning.

Her two defense attorneys argued that there was not probable caused for the burglary and water poisoning charges.

One victim, who was staying at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, told police on March 29th he went to Club LIV and met two women.

He said he had about six drinks, and kissed one of the women, and then remembered little else until he woke up in only his underwear in the hallway of the hotel outside his room.

The man said a security guard woke him up and helped him into his room where he blacked out again.

When he awoke again, just after 9:30 a.m., he noticed his pricey Rolex Explorer was missing as was $160 Canadian dollars.

That Explorer 2 watch was worth $10,000, according to the victim.

The man told police he then realized that he had brought one of the women from the club to his room, but couldn't remember which one.

He said his memory was very fuzzy and he thought he had been drugged.

Miami Beach police reviewed the hotel's security video and saw the man and woman getting off the elevator together on the 4th floor, where the man's room was located.

A few hours later, the video shows the woman left the room. A short time later, the man can be seen stumbling down the hallway in only his underwear toward the elevator.

In the video, the man can barely stand or maintain his balance.

A forensics team went over the items in the man's room and found a fingerprint from the woman on a water bottle.

A record's check showed it belonged to Flanagan, who is from Phoenix, Arizona.

It turns out Flanagan is also a subject in another Miami Beach case in which a $20,000 gold Rolex Yachtmaster watch worth $20,000 was stolen from another tourist at the same hotel, and another in Aventura from March of 2018 in which a Yachtmaster II watch worth $40,000 was stolen from a man at his condominium.

Police at the time released a flyer warning residents abut Flanagan.

Flanagan was arrested in Dallas, Texas on the Aventura warrant and extradited back to South Florida.

Judge Renatha Francis said she was concerned about the value of the watches stolen along with cash and the fact that Flanagan has no ties to the South Florida community.

She said Flanagan will have to surrender her passport and will be on house arrest if she can post bond.

Her defense attorneys said the $77,500 bond was excessive and said that high a bond for a 22-year-old was like giving her no bond at all.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.