Florida deputies arrest dozens of illegal immigrants allegedly caught looting from Hurricane Milton victims

More than 100 people, including astatine slightest 41 amerciable immigrants, person been arrested successful Florida for allegedly looting and scamming victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton, section instrumentality enforcement officials said.

Looting patrols successful Pinellas County implicit the past 3 weeks rounded up 45 suspects connected 68 charges that included equipped robbery, burglary, loitering and prowling, expansive theft, vandalism and trespassing, according to Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

"They’re going into people's homes, they’re taking stuff, they’re rummaging done their things," Gualtieri said.

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Another 58 suspects were arrested successful an cognition allegedly targeting unlicensed contractors. Gualtieri said their scams mostly progressive billing victims a full of $250 cardinal for repairs they ne'er intended to do.

"This is the epitome of radical trying to exploit others erstwhile they’re down and erstwhile they’re out, and they’re trying to rebuild and they’ve got nothing," Gualtieri said.

During a property conference, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri shared an update connected the apprehension of dozens of amerciable immigrants who allegedly stole from and scammed Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene victims.  (Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)

Of the 45 suspects arrested by anti-looting patrols crossed the Pinellas County obstruction islands, astatine slightest 41 of the suspects are amerciable immigrants, Gualtieri said astatine a property league Thursday. He said astir each of the suspects were from South America oregon Central America.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has arrested much than 100 radical accused of taking vantage of victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton. (Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)

Suspects arrested successful the contracting scams typically offered to bash projects, including plumbing, roofing and electrical work, charging a full of much than $250 million.

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Gualtieri added that 1 fishy adjacent had concern cards to impersonate a morganatic contracting company.

"People offering to bash enactment connected their property, but, successful immoderate cases, person nary volition of doing the work. In different cases, are unqualified to bash the enactment and, successful each of these cases, are unlicensed to bash the work," Gualtieri said.

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A drone presumption shows destroyed formation houses aft Hurricane Milton made landfall successful Manasota Key, Fla., Oct. 11, 2024.  (Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo/File Photo)

The sheriff added that his bureau had interaction with 196 different individuals who were successful formation neighborhoods wherever they did not belong, but that officers did not person probable origin to apprehension them. Of those, 163 were recovered to beryllium amerciable immigrants, helium said.

"So, we made interaction with them and told them to get out," Gualtieri said. "We’ve ne'er seen thing of this magnitude before. We’ve ne'er seen this influx of radical from retired of the country that are intelligibly conscionable present to bargain and to pilfer and to bash atrocious things and to people these susceptible people." 

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Gualtieri said astir each of those arrested during the three-week cognition had extensive transgression records. 

"As the Pinellas beaches recover, we are going to proceed these patrols and apprehension everyone we tin who is stealing from the susceptible victims of 2 back-to-back storms that person devastated our community," Gualtieri said. 

Get the latest updates connected the ongoing borderline situation from the Fox News Digital migration hub.

Gualtieri said the sheriff's office volition proceed to person dozens of other deputies patrolling the obstruction islands time and nighttime to support radical who don’t beryllium determination disconnected the islands.

"Our effort to support the assemblage has not stopped with these hurricanes’ nonstop impact. We are present focused connected protecting our residents and our businesses who are hopeless to rebuild and get connected with their lives."