Final Member of Cargo Theft Ring Convicted of Stealing 19,000 Pounds of Perry Ellis Perfume Worth Over $230,000

MIAMI – On Jan. 19, a jury found Eligio Bacallao, 69, of Miami, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit cargo theft and one count of cargo theft. 

The evidence at trial revealed that Bacallao and his co-conspirators stole over $230,000 of Perry Ellis perfume, weighing in at over 19,000 pounds, from the inside of a steel-sealed, GPS-monitored tractor trailer in April 2016. The shipment was destined for Laredo, Texas, but 22 of the 24 pallets of perfume never left Hialeah, Florida because of the theft.

Two of Bacallao’s co-conspirators were previously found guilty for their roles in the theft, in July 2017.

U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard is scheduled to sentence Bacallao on April 10, 2024.  The defendant is facing a total statutory maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the convictions.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stefan Diaz Espinosa and Alexandra D. Comolli are prosecuting this case. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 16-cr- 20965.

###