Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNLPolice: Couple confessed to thefts at ‘Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign

Police: Couple confessed to thefts at ‘Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign

Posted: Updated:
Posted By Jason R. Latham, Assistant News Director - bio | email
Juan Cordero and Jakeline Delgado Juan Cordero and Jakeline Delgado
Juan Cordero, 49, is charged with two counts of auto burglary Juan Cordero, 49, is charged with two counts of auto burglary
Jakeline Delgado, 26, is charged with two counts of auto burglary Jakeline Delgado, 26, is charged with two counts of auto burglary
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -

A pair of thieves was counting on the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign to distract their victims while they ripped off everything from cash to cameras.

However, they didn't count on the surveillance camera that recorded the burglaries at the world famous attraction and led authorities to the stolen merchandise.

Las Vegas Metro police on Wednesday released arrest reports for the two suspects, 49-year-old Juan Cordero and 26-year-old Jakeline Delgado.

The two are accused of stealing items from vehicles belonging to tourists who stopped to see the sign on Las Vegas Boulevard south of Russell Road.

Metro detectives said Delgado's Isuzu Rodeo was caught on camera in the parking lot near the sign during thefts on Jan. 27, Feb. 8 and Feb. 10.

In the video, police said a man got out of the Rodeo and entered parked cars, taking items and escaping before the victims made it back to their vehicles.

Burglaries were occurring about twice a week, according to the arrest report.

But the suspects slipped up during the Feb. 10 theft, police said, and got stuck in the parking lot -- blocked in by another vehicle -- before they could make a clean getaway.

A detective watching the live surveillance feed said he witnessed the burglary and drove to the sign to catch the suspects while they were still in the parking lot.

He ended up tailing the Rodeo to Industrial Road and Frank Sinatra Drive, where the vehicle was pulled over by a Metro cruiser, according to the report.

Cordero -- the driver -- and Delgado -- the passenger -- were arrested and taken in for questioning.

According to police, Cordero gave a fake name, identifying himself as Miguel Aguilar. Detectives later learned he is nine-time felon with prior arrests for burglary.

When confronted with the video of the crimes, police said Cordero gave an interview in Spanish in which he confessed.

Delgado also confessed to helping Cordero commit the crimes, police said.

Stolen backpacks, purses, luggage, cell phones, Euros and digital cameras were found after a search of Delgado's apartment on New York Avenue near Commerce Street, according to the report.

Cordero and Delgado are both charged with two counts of auto burglary, although police said more additional charges are likely.

Anyone with information about the thefts at the Las Vegas sign is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Copyright 2012 KVVU (KVVU Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.

  • Most ReadMost Read

  • Tuesday, May 22 2012 4:27 PM EDT2012-05-22 20:27:09 GMT
    A&E has canceled its hit reality television series "Dog the Bounty Hunter." The following is an exclusive statement from Duane 'Dog' Chapman and his wife Beth to Hawaii News Now: Prior to A & E making
    A&E has canceled its hit reality television series "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Averaging two million viewers per episode, the show is one of the most popular reality shows in television history.  

  • Wednesday, May 23 2012 7:19 PM EDT2012-05-23 23:19:37 GMT
    Maui police say a man is dead following a shooting in the parking lot of the Mana Kai Maui resort in Kihei. The shooting happened around 11 a.m. according to paramedics who were dispatched to the scene
    A man suspected of trying to elude police in a stolen car was shot and killed by a Maui police officer Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Mana Kai Maui resort in Kihei.

  • Wednesday, May 23 2012 10:01 AM EDT2012-05-23 14:01:20 GMT
    A disturbing surveillance video of a father placing his baby in a washing machine and turning it on is making the rounds on the internet.
    Officials from Camden, NJ are looking to identify and speak to the parents who put their baby in a washing machine at a laundromat.

  • Tuesday, May 22 2012 9:50 AM EDT2012-05-22 13:50:31 GMT
    Lonnell Reginald Wideman, ex-husband of missing Waipahu woman Loida Gabon Wideman, will spend at least 45 more days incarcerated at the Oahu Community Correctional Center before the parole board will consider
    Lonnell Reginald Wideman, ex-husband of missing Waipahu woman Loida Gabon Wideman, will spend at least 45 more days incarcerated at the Oahu Community Correctional Center...

  • Wednesday, May 23 2012 3:08 AM EDT2012-05-23 07:08:44 GMT
    By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has sent 1 of his deputies to Hawaii to accompany an official in his volunteer posse investigating President Barack
    The state of Hawaii has verified President Barack Obama's birth records to Arizona's elections chief after a nearly three-month back and forth that Arizona officials said could have ended without the incumbent's name on its November ballot.