FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 31-year-old man has been arrested on accusations that he stole dozens of key fobs from rental car companies at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
BSO spokesman Carey Codd said in a news release that the investigation started in late 2021 when an unknown man stole more than 100 key fobs from rental car companies at the airport.
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Detectives later discovered that on several occasions in 2022, the same burglar committed similar crimes.
Codd said BSO Airport District detectives were finally able to identify Armando Martinez as the suspect in the burglaries in December 2022.
He was taken into custody Tuesday on 143 counts of burglary of a conveyance and six counts of grand theft.
The estimated total loss in the grand theft cases is more than $77,000, Codd said.
“According to detectives, each key fob is worth several hundred dollars, and Martinez is believed to have sold the key fobs to other individuals,” the news release stated.
Detectives say Martinez confessed to the crimes.
According to authorities, similar crimes have occurred at Miami International Airport, but it’s unclear at this time whether Martinez was involved in those incidents.
The investigation remains ongoing.