ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — Orange County deputies told WFTV they've arrested a woman who they call one of the country's most wanted criminal gypsies. The woman has been on the run for years, since at least 2004 when investigators say she ripped off an elderly man in New Jersey, but investigators at the sheriff's office got a tip she was in Orlando and nabbed her.
The woman is 48-year-old Brenda Miguel. She is a self-proclaimed gypsy, according to sheriff's investigators.
Police got the tip she was at a chapel off Ivanhoe Road for her aunt's funeral. That's when investigators swooped in a got her.
Investigators say she is known for what's called a "sweetheart swindle," basically befriending an elderly man and using a phony investment scheme to steal his money. She and a friend, who is still on the run, took an 83-year-old in New Jersey for $180,000 and they likely have many more victims.
The sheriff's office says she is legendary in the gypsy culture for preying on older people.
"The elderly people with any type of money certainly are the most vulnerable, most trusting, in our society and these are the type of people you need to watch out for," an undercover agent said.
Miguel is being held at the Orange County jail on no bond. The U.S. Marshal will fly in to take her to New Jersey to face criminal charges.
WFTV
