A Cuban woman and her son have confessed to the armed robbery of a nail salon owner in Hialeah, stealing a suitcase filled with approximately 1,300 pieces of jewelry valued at $750,000. The incident, captured on surveillance footage, took place in September 2023 near Champagne Nails, located at 7751 West 28th Avenue in Hialeah.
Lourdes Díaz, 56, and Julián Flores, 25, a Naples resident, were charged with armed robbery. Although they could potentially face life imprisonment, the prosecution has suggested a reduced sentence of 150 months for Flores as part of a plea agreement, according to court records referenced by Telemundo 51.
Inside the Crime: A Calculated Plan
For over a month, Lourdes Díaz frequented the nail salon, gaining the trust of the victim, Yunet Sánchez, who is also Cuban. Díaz posed as a friend, asking numerous questions about the jewelry but never making a purchase. On September 16, 2023, as Sánchez was leaving the salon with her jewelry case, Julián Flores approached her. Dressed in black, wearing a ski mask, and armed, he engaged in a struggle with Sánchez, hitting her on the head with the gun and firing a shot into the air. Fearing for her life, Sánchez released the suitcase.
Flores and his mother, who waited in a Chevrolet Equinox SUV, fled immediately. However, security cameras captured parts of the robbery. Following the incident, Díaz called the victim, pretending to offer assistance after "hearing" about the robbery.
Unraveling the Evidence
Investigators discovered that the SUV's license plate had been previously used on a Ford SUV spotted near the crime scene in the days leading up to the robbery. Díaz had rented the Ford SUV from a Miami Airport agency. A social media post by Julián Flores flaunting the stolen jewelry helped police track down both him and his mother.
Authorities located Díaz through her cellphone and arrested her on the street, recovering two bags filled with jewelry matching those in Sánchez's suitcase. Nearly 90% of the stolen items were retrieved.
Despite having no prior criminal records, the judge, Mindy S. Glazer, ordered that Díaz and Flores remain in custody without bail. Sentencing hearings are anticipated to begin in February 2025.