CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
A Cape Coral housekeeper was arrested on Friday after being accused of stealing jewelry and cash from a home she was hired to clean.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, officers responded to reports of a property theft at a home in Southwest Cape Coral on September 11. The victim told officers that several pieces of jewelry, personal property, and cash had been stolen from their home.
The victim told officers that they had previously employed Sherry Lee Maldonado, 56, as a housekeeper, CCPD said. The victim said they had seen their personal property inside the home on two separate occasions before Maldonado performed housekeeping duties, only to find the items missing after Maldonado left.
Additional jewelry and cash were discovered to be missing, CCPD said. The stolen property was valued at approximately $25,000.
Officers investigated and found that Maldonado had conducted 21 separate pawn transactions between April 3, 2025, and August 18, 2026, at four pawn shops in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, CCPD said. Maldonado received more than $30,000 for pawning the stolen jewelry.
Maldonado was arrested on Friday and faces charges of grand theft and 16 counts of dealing in stolen property.
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