Myles Watkins spotted 25-year-old Lacramioara Laslau last month poolside at the Roney Plaza, the swanky condominiums in the same building as the Gansevoort Miami Beach. They approached the 5'10" woman and told her she could make it big in modeling. What they really had their eyes on was her $15,000 Rolex.
According to The Miami Herald, Watkins, 20, and his partner in crime Phillip Valdez, 21, did a thorough job of posing as modeling reps. They kept in contact with Laslau for a month discussing a possible photo shoot. They even produced a fake portfolio.
The shoot, Laslau thought, was arranged for Monday. The duo picked her up at her apartment building, but once she was in the car they pulled out a pellet gun, and just for good measure a stun gun. They wanted her watch, however, Laslau wasn't wearing it.
They drove back to her apartment and snatched the watch, her cell phone, and $200 in cash. Afterward, she was dropped her off near the library in Collins Park, but they didn't travel much farther themselves.
Police arrested the duo the next day in the 800 block of Alton Road and both confessed to the crime.
Watkins and Valdez were charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. Both are being held without bond.
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