The thief has been caught and Arnoux has his ring back. A South Florida hotel worker is a suspect in the case.
On Memorial Day, a customer reportedly walked into Kendale Jewelry, a pawn shop on Southwest 72nd Street and 152nd Avenue in Southwest Miami-Dade, with the championship ring. "It was a very distinctive ring. I was actually very surprised that he was selling the ring instead of pawning it," said Alberto Iturrey of Kendale Jewelry.
The ring was from the 2008 NFL season, when the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts and won the Super Bowl championship title. Arnoux's ring is valued at over $30,000. However, Iturrey only offered $1,200 to the customer who brought the ring to the pawn shop, since the ring's gold was worth that amount. Iturrey said, "A couple days later, he came back to the store and he asked what we were going to do with the ring. I found that odd. I found that very odd."
Iturrey called police and investigators determined Gil Ulloa, a valet manger at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach, stole the Super Bowl ring. During Memorial Day weekend, Arnoux attended a party at the Fontainebleau. Miami-Dade Police Detective Javier Baez said, "He ransacked the vehicle, opened up the glove box, stole $200 as well as the Super Bowl ring."
Iturrey said he had to contact Arnoux via Twitter to give him his ring back.
"His eyes watered when I gave him back the ring," said Iturrey. "He told me, his exact words were, "'Man, I feel like I am receiving it again for the first time.'"
Ulloa has been charged with grand theft and dealing in stolen property. He has been released on $20,000 bond.
It's kind of heartwarming that Arnoux was able to get his ring back. Super Bowl rings are hard to come by and I bet he'll keep his in a safe deposit box for now on. A dumb mistake compounded by a dumb crime makes a happy ending. In a strange way two wrongs do make a right.
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