A man who was out on bond for stealing a cellular phone earlier this month, teamed up with his girlfriend over the weekend to rip off several club goers at the Roxy Night Club on 740 Bennett Road in Orlando, on Saturday night.
Mehdi Ari, 19, and his girlfriend, Paula Castro, 21, have been arrested and charged with four counts each of grand theft and two counts of petit theft.
Orlando police say, Ari and Castro schemed to steal four cell phones from patrons at the Roxy Night Club and two victims’ purses containing credit cards. Investigators say, Ari would go through the purses and would in turn give the items to Castro for concealment.
The victims, realizing their purses had been picked, complained to security at the Roxy. One of the victims, along with a witness told investigators they could identify the suspect described as “a heavy-set middle eastern or Hispanic male wearing a blue V-neck shirt with facial hair…,” according to the Ari’s arrest affidavit.
Ari and Castro were rounded up and escorted out of the Club. Castro was observed dumping two wallets and a phone as she walked out.
Castro, when questioned told investigators, Ari is her boyfriend and he gave her the wallets and cellular phones which she placed in her waist band. Investigators found a fourth cell phone – T-Mobile My’Touch – in a roll of toilet paper in a bathroom that Castro had requested to use in the middle of her interview.
Ari denied stealing any phones or wallets. He had been previously arrested on August 9th for stealing a cellular phone from a patron at the Firestone Night Club on north Orange Avenue, and was out on bond.
Ari and Castro were arrested and charged with four counts each of grand theft and two counts of petit theft. Both were booked into the Orange County Jail.
