A husband and wife are facing charges in the theft of several pricey paintings from a home in Coral Gables, police said.
Raluxi Raul Erbiti and Dania Rojas, both 39, are charged with second-degree grand theft and dealing in stolen property, according to arrest affidavits released Wednesday.
Erbiti was being held without bond on a warrant case, jail records showed. Rojas was being held on $15,000 bond. It was unknown if they have attorneys.
According to the affidavits, the burglary was discovered April 3.
A total of five pieces of art were stolen, including a Romachach painting valued at $150,000, a Cundo Bermudez painting valued at $50,000, a Wilfredo Lamb painting valued at $75,000, a Jamali painting valued at $25,000 and an unknown artist's painting valued at $50,000
The paintings had been cut from their original frames and so far, only four have been recovered. The owner of the paintings, Eduardo Goudie, told police he was in the process of moving into the home and was last at the property on April 2nd.
An investigation was begun by the Coral Gables Police, who worked with Hialeah Police, Miami-Dade Police, the Broward Sheriff's Office, the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, and police learned of a possible suspect involved in the crime.
On May 21, a confidential police informant met Erbiti at the Sam's Club in Miramar to discuss the prices of the stolen art, the affidavit said. The next day, Erbiti and Rojas went to the informant's place of business with two paintings, and said the price was $90,000, the affidavits said.
Erbiti later agreed to sell all five paintings for $150,000 and when Erbiti and Rojas went to meet the informant, they were taken into custody.
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Goudie, an art collector, said "I'm super happy that they were able to catch the thieves, I feel more secure now I also feel better about the police work because they were able to catch the thieves."
Goudie said the painting that remains missing is the Romachach, which is the most expensive, worth approximately $150,000.
According to Goudie, he does not recognize the suspects, but believes they are part of a ring of art thieves.
