Miami woman moves into a new apartment with her 2 kids. 2 weeks later, she allegedly breaks into her neighbor’s home and hauls their furniture outside
A Miami couple came home from work last week to find their furniture dumped in their apartment complex’s rear common area. Police accuse their neighbor, 42-year-old Nicole Bottiglieri-Vega, of breaking in, according to Law & Crime. She faces charges of third-degree grand theft, contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child, criminal mischief, and resisting an officer without violence.
The property manager reviewed surveillance footage and saw Bottiglieri-Vega, who wore a long dress, leave her apartment with two children and allegedly force open the couple’s back door. Police say one child helped carry items out, and a neighbor’s Ring camera reportedly backed up the footage. The manager recognized her as a tenant who had moved in two weeks earlier.
Officers knocked on Bottiglieri-Vega’s door and rear windows, but she reportedly refused to respond. As children were inside, police contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families, though its investigator also could not reach her that evening.
Police say she slipped out of her handcuffs at the station
Officers returned the next afternoon alongside child welfare workers, and a police sergeant reportedly heard screaming and spotted blood near the door. Police forced their way into the apartment and found Bottiglieri-Vega inside a bedroom. She allegedly refused commands and pulled away while officers handcuffed her, though they managed to take her into custody.
Police took Bottiglieri-Vega to the department’s North Station and placed her in a holding cell. Officers say she slipped out of her handcuffs and approached the cell door leading into the main facility before an officer recuffed her. Detectives later tried to interview her, but the session ended as she reportedly refused to answer questions.
A witness also told officers that Bottiglieri-Vega frequently used narcotics, according to the arrest report. The witness claimed to have seen her smoking crack cocaine and leaving glass pipes and small plastic bags around the premises. However, those claims have not been independently verified, and none of the four charges involve drugs.
The grand theft charge alone could mean years in prison
Under Florida law, third-degree grand theft covers property valued at $750 or more but less than $20,000. The state classifies it as a third-degree felony, which could carry up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine on conviction. However, police have not publicly said what value they placed on the couple’s damaged and moved belongings.
Contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child is a first-degree misdemeanor under section 827.04 of the Florida Statutes, punishable by up to one year in jail. As children were involved, DCF runs its own process, and a Florida Senate analysis notes that protective investigations must begin immediately or within 24 hours, depending on the allegation.
Bottiglieri-Vega was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond reportedly set at more than $11,000, and her next court date was not immediately listed.
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