Mother, Daughter Charged With Stealing From The Boca Raton Resort Shops

Joanne Denardo, 57, and Danielle Spoleti, 30. (Photos: Palm Beach County Jail)

A mother and daughter are accused of working as a team to steal $1,725 worth of merchandise from retail shops at a Boca Raton resort, police said.

Joanne Denardo, 57, and Danielle Spoleti, 30, both of Boca Raton, were arrested Sunday at the resort at 491 E. Camino Real and charged with felony retail theft as part of a group, according to Boca Raton Police Department reports.

Officer Gabrielle Keener responded around 12:28 p.m. after resort security reported following two women who had returned to the property a day after allegedly stealing from the shops. Police said the women became verbally aggressive with security before the officer arrived.

A security official told police he had been called to one of the shops around 5:30 p.m. Saturday over a reported shoplifting, but the suspects had left by the time he got there. After reviewing surveillance video, he told police he saw two women put several items in a dog stroller that Denardo was pushing, hiding them.

Police said the video showed Denardo placing a pair of beige shoes in the stroller behind the dog. Spoleti, who was wearing beige shoes, allegedly walked to a corner of the store, out of camera view, and returned wearing a pair of blue shoes from the store while carrying the beige pair. The two left without paying, police said.

Security officers said the items confirmed stolen so far were three pairs of shoes valued at $475 each and two swimsuits valued at $150 each, for a total of $1,725. Police said security believed more items may have been taken.

Both women were arrested at the scene, police said. Spoleti told the officer she and her mother were not members but had visited the day before while “exploring membership.” She allegedly acknowledged trying on a pair of shoes and said she wore them out because she thought her mother was buying them, according to the reports.

Denardo allegedly told police she returned to the property to give back two swimsuits because of guilt. Officers said they found the swimsuits, with tags still attached, under the mat of the stroller. When the officer asked why she was found leaving with them and had not mentioned them, Denardo said she was scared because security had followed her, the reports state. Police said she also acknowledged putting on the shoes Spoleti allegedly took.

Both women were taken to the Palm Beach County Jail where they were later released after posing $5,000 bond. Spoleti gave verbal consent for her father to take the dog and its carrier, police said.