Court Appearance For Accused Tortuga Music Festival Pickpockets Facing 22 Counts Of Grand Theft

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS Miami) – Two people accused of pickpocketing almost two dozen cellphones from Tortuga Music Festival attendees appeared before a judge Monday.

Wilson Ruzzi and Piter Janpol face 22 counts of grand theft. The judge ordered $1,000 bond for each count. Also arrested was Yesica Castellano.

Janpol lives in Orlando, while Ruzzi has an address in Miami-Dade. Both claimed they had no one available to bail them out.

Hours after their court appearance, Det. Ali Adamson with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department revealed more of how the three allegedly pulled off their crime.

Police say they used a bag that conceals cellphone signals, making it impossible to track.

"If you put a cellphone inside of this bag, it will be unable to communicate, be located or anything like that when it's in this bag," Adamson said.

Twenty-three cellphones in all were recovered and returned to their owners.

Kyle Rochelle of Tampa arrived at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department Monday afternoon looking for his.

"Once I realized I lost it, I called it and it was turned off. I couldn't track it or anything like that," he said.

Rochelle said he'd likely get a new phone Tuesday should his phone not turn up.

"It's definitely tough, especially with friends here and stuff who were trying to call me. I was using my girlfriend's phone to call it, but it was turned off immediately," he said.

Det. Adamson had this advice for anyone attending events like Tortuga: "When attending large scale events, it's best to keep your phone in a front pocket, with a zipper, in a bag with a front zipper, would be preferred to prevent yourself from becoming a victim."

Fort Lauderdale police are still looking for more victims. Call (954) 828-5457 if you had your phone taken by pickpockets at Tortuga Music Festival.