Two men were arrested Thursday for allegedly posing as rideshare drivers to rob people, mostly tourists, in Miami Beach, according to police.
Fevry Gentillon, 43, and Kebert Jean, 56, are taxi drivers by trade now accused of multiple robberies “targeting inebriated" and "unsuspecting" individuals within Miami Beach’s Entertainment District.
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"One would be in an actual cab. When an intoxicated individual would approach the driver, he would deny them service and tip off the other driver who was in an unmarked vehicle," Public Information Officer Christopher Bess said. "That driver would then lure the intoxicated victim inside of his vehicle."
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Authorities started investigating after receiving several reports about similar crimes, but an exact number was not immediately available.
The crimes went on over many months, Bess said. Arrest reports for Gentillon date back to July, and to September for Jean.
In those reports, alleged victims described getting picked up from bars, after which some were robbed of phones and wallets. Sometimes the men were allegedly armed.
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In one case, a victim was taken to an ATM and forced to withdraw money.
In another, after a victim handed over his wallet and fled from the car, video surveillance allegedly captured Gentillon withdrawing $1,000 from the victim's bank account using their stolen debit card.
The men are "repeat offenders" who face charges including armed robbery with a firearm, strong-arm robbery, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, organized scheme to defraud, identity theft, unlawful possession of a credit or debit card, fraudulent use of a credit card and grand theft in the third degree, according to police.
"These guys knew exactly what they were doing. They were well organized, they were intentional and they were predators," Bess said. "They confessed. They told investigators that there are other victims out there, all across Miami-Dade County."
Anyone with information or who may have been targeted by the men is asked to contact the Miami Beach Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 305-673-7945.
