Older Florida resident says mover stole $100K in jewelry from her armoire
By Madison Monroe Adams
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PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida (WBBH) — A senior in Port Charlotte is warning others after losing roughly $100,000 worth of jewelry, including sentimental pieces from her late husband and mom, when a moving company employee allegedly stole an armoire during her recent move from New Hampshire.
“It really hurts to look at it now. Empty. And I didn’t know if I’d want it in my bedroom,” Nancy O’Sullivan said, reflecting on the armoire that her late husband had given to her as a Christmas present, and once held her precious jewelry.
Among the stolen items was a bracelet with a heart, a gift from her husband before he died.
“My husband had given me a beautiful bracelet with a heart in it during the time, before he passed, when he was sick,” she said.
O’Sullivan and her daughter had just relocated to Inwood Street in Port Charlotte and hired Patriot Relocation Corp for the move. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Anthony Constantino, an employee of the moving company, stole the armoire containing the jewelry while unloading items from the truck.
“I had noticed that a couple of the guys had disappeared, and I thought maybe they went on break or something like that. And then I was in the house and my daughter came running in and wanted her phone, and I did look out. At that point, I said, what’s going on? And she said, ‘We’ve been robbed, mom.’ And one sheriff’s car pulled up in like 15 seconds,” O’Sullivan said.
Although deputies recovered the armoire, the jewelry was missing.
Investigators reported that a stranger called 911 after witnessing a suspicious person dumping the armoire in a parking lot on Toledo Blade Boulevard. Security cameras captured Constantino removing the jewelry before abandoning the armoire.
“I do thank God for it,” O’Sullivan said, expressing gratitude for the recovery of the armoire. Constantino later turned himself in to the Charlotte County Jail on a warrant for grand theft.
“At this point in life, I’m just now really learning how to be careful and take care of things, and yourself — be careful,” O’Sullivan said.
Despite not recovering her jewelry, she hopes to warn others to prevent similar incidents.
“We had talked about it months before my daughter, and that we will take that with us in the car. And I had gotten a small case that you can put your jewelry in and then take it with you,” she said, advising others to keep valuables like jewelry, passports, and Social Security cards with them during a move rather than in a moving truck.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the jewelry came from her late wife. The jewelry came from her mom.
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