A Florida woman has been accused of drugging men at bars to later rob them so many times that a detective remembered her, according to a report.
Sarah Tavano, 39, faces 10 criminal charges across four cases in Miami-Dade County, police wrote in an arrest report this week, according to Local 10 News.
Tavano, who is originally from Massachusetts, gained the trust of the men “under the pretense of consensual activity,” while living in St. Augustine, about 320 miles north of Miami.
She was arrested Sunday at Sugar, a rooftop bar in downtown Miami. At the time of her arrest, she had a baggie of white powder, a plastic cup with four pills and a bottle of Jagermeister with powder, the police report said.
Tavano told authorities Sunday that the liquid in the bottle contained MDMA, a detective wrote in a police report. The four cases were filed against Tavano on Monday, according to the report.
Three of the cases include surveillance video, a fingerprint match and a confession, according to the report.
The first incident involving Tavano occurred on October 26, when a man called police to his condo after meeting a woman a day earlier at a bar who stole his keys.
“He does not remember inviting her into his apartment,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.
After waking up, the man found that gold and diamond jewelry, suitcases, handbags and wallets had vanished from his home. The police report noted that the stolen items were valued at over $50,000 and belonged to the victim’s fiancée.
A fingerprint on a brown watch case matched Tavano’s, and she confessed to police that “the clothes she changed into were stolen…she stole the suitcases…filled with 20+ luxury bags,” according to the incident report.
The stolen items were listed as Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Versace, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent pieces, according to the report.
Miami police officers encountered a similar situation on December 11 after a man reported over $34,000 had been stolen from him after meeting a woman at a different bar.
The money had been taken through an unauthorized bank and crypto transfer after his phone and wallet were stolen, authorities said.
“The victim reported experiencing a severe blackout, falling unconscious,” the police report said.
A third incident occurred several days later on December 13, when a man at the Intercontinental Hotel reported that a woman approached him at a bar, and that he invited her to his hotel room.
“He consumed a drink…began to feel ill, experiencing sudden nausea, weakness, and dizziness, before losing consciousness,” authorities wrote in an arrest report. “The victim reported blacking out.”
When the man woke up, the woman had vanished with his Rolex watch, which was valued at about $38,000 and $1,500 in cash, according to police.
The man told police he suspected the woman had drugged him, and described “prolonged symptoms of nausea, extreme weakness, dizziness, and vomiting that persisted for approximately one week.”
After watching surveillance footage related to the case, the detective wrote, “I immediately recognized [Tavano], whom I suspected from two prior investigations,” records showed.
For the October 26 case, Tavano faced charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling and second-degree theft. Her bond was $12,500.
For the December 11 incident, she was charged with organized fraud and third-degree grand theft. Her bond was $12,500..
For the December 13 case, she faced charges of strong-armed robbery, organized fraud and second-degree grand theft. Her bond was $25,000.
On Sunday, Tavano was charged with food or water poisoning, cocaine possession and possession of a controlled substance. Her bond was $5,000.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Michelle Delancy is set to preside over the four cases. Tavano’s total bond was $55,000, according to the report.
Tavano was also required to show that she did not acquire the funds to pay her bail as a result of criminal activity, according to the report.
