BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS12) — Hours after a patient reported his credit card missing during a medical exam, surveillance cameras captured the technician who had just treated him using the card at Miami stores later that same day, according to a Boca Raton police investigation.
The Boca Raton Police Department said Carlos Gonzalez Jr., 49, of Miami, was arrested June 2 following a theft that targeted a patient at a Boca Raton medical facility. He faces charges including theft of a credit card and fraudulent use of personal identification involving a victim over 60.
The investigation began after a patient reported that his CitiBank credit card disappeared May 5 while he was undergoing a stress test at a clinic on Northwest 13th Street. According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim placed his wallet on a nearby table while he was hooked up to equipment and unable to move. Gonzalez, who was working as a stress test technician, was the only person in the room during the procedure, investigators said.
The victim later discovered the card missing and learned it had already been used without his permission. Police said fraudulent transactions were traced to locations in Miami, including a Shell gas station and a Home Depot store.
Surveillance footage from Home Depot captured a man matching Gonzalez’s description using the stolen card shortly after the appointment. The individual was seen arriving and leaving in a red Dodge Ram pickup truck, which investigators linked to Gonzalez through vehicle registration records.
The victim later identified Gonzalez as the person shown in the surveillance images and also recognized the truck as the one the technician drove to the medical office. Facility supervisors and staff independently told police that multiple patients had reported similar thefts, all occurring on Tuesdays — the only day Gonzalez worked at the clinic. According to the affidavit, Gonzalez was the only employee connected to each reported incident.
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Investigators said the timeline of events further supported the allegations. Records show Gonzalez completed his last appointment around 12:30 p.m. on May 5 and left the facility shortly afterward. The first fraudulent transaction using the victim’s card occurred later that afternoon in Miami, a timeframe police say is consistent with the drive from Boca Raton and would have allowed time for Gonzalez to reach the stores shown in surveillance footage.
When confronted by detectives, Gonzalez acknowledged that he was the person depicted in the surveillance images and confirmed that the pickup truck seen in the footage was his, according to the report. However, he was unable to produce a credit card matching the one used in the transactions or provide documentation showing it belonged to him.
Police said evidence, including witness identifications, surveillance video, and the suspect’s own statements, established probable cause that Gonzalez took the card without consent and used it for personal benefit.
The Boca Raton Police Department said Carlos Gonzalez Jr., 49, of Miami, was arrested June 2 following a theft that targeted a patient at a Boca Raton medical facility. He faces charges including theft of a credit card and fraudulent use of personal identification involving a victim over 60.
Authorities have not said whether additional charges may be filed or how many potential victims could be involved as the investigation continues. Gonzalez is being held on a $40,000 bond, according to court records.