MARATHON, Fla. — A Florida resident is accused of stealing a commercial fishing boat from a resident in the Florida Keys and steering it to his former home in Cuba, authorities said.
Cristian Torres Perez, 30, of Miami, was charged with grand theft and burglary, according to a news release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they were told of the theft shortly before 8:30 a.m. EST on Monday, when the victim stated that his 40-foot fishing vessel, worth approximately $60,000, had been stolen, WSVN-TV reported.
The man told deputies that a former employee who was a native of Cuba had recently quit and talked about returning to his home country because he disliked the U.S., according to the television station.
Hours later, the U.S. Coast Guard notified the victim that his boat’s emergency beacon had been activated about 50 miles south of Key West, WPLG-TV reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, Coast Guard crews spotted the boat, which was “inoperable,” and Torres Perez “waving his arms for help.”
A tanker rescued Torres Perez from the stranded vessel and he was taken to Key West, WPLG reported.
He was arrested in Marathon and then booked into the Monroe County Jail, deputies said.
Torres Perez will appear in court on Nov. 18, online records show.
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