40 iPhones ‘pick-pocketed’ at New Orleans Mardi Gras parades recovered in Tangipahoa Parish

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - If you went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and left with your iPhone missing, there’s a chance it might be in Tangipahoa Parish.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s office announced the arrests of four suspects over the weekend after 40 iPhones as well as credit cards, debit cards, and IDs were found in an Airbnb near Tickfaw. Chief Jimmy Travis says that the items recovered were reported stolen by paradegoers in New Orleans.

The sheriff’s office says that Bridgette Solorzano Rodriguez, 32; Yudi Solorzano Sanchez, 36; Jean-Paul Sabogal Angorita, 26; and Rafael Adrien Souza, 24 have all been booked with possession of stolen property. The sheriff’s office believes the four suspects traveled from Miami to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras and conduct the pick-pocketing scheme.

Travis also stressed that the sheriff’s office has not recovered property reported stolen after 8 a.m. on Saturday (Feb. 18).

Of the 40 phones stolen, five were not able to be identified due to the SIM cards being removed. The sheriff’s office says they have been contacting owners to make arrangements to have the stolen property returned.

If you are missing an iPhone, here is a list of numbers assigned to the missing iPhones below: