Man posing as Four Seasons Hotel worker steals jewelry from billionaire couple

A man posing as a Four Seasons Hotel worker stole jewelry from a billionaire couple visiting Los Angeles for Oscar celebrations, police said today.

Police did not identify the victim, but Cuban-born Jose Pepe Fanjul, who owns one of the nation's largest sugar-growing and refining firms, told the New York Post he and his wife Emilia were robbed Friday night at the Four Seasons Hotel, 300 S. Doheny Drive.

"We were victims of a robbery at the hotel,'' Fanjul told the Post. "He took my wife's jewelry that was both valuable and sentimental. We are OK and have reported the incident to the police.''

The Post reported that Fanjul, who lives in Palm Beach and is considered one of the world's richest men, actually spoke with the suspect, who was dressed as a hotel worker, in an elevator.

Los Angeles police Detective Ernie Rodriguez said the suspect, described as a man in his mid-30s with slicked-back black hair and wearing tuxedo-style clothing to look like an employee, later went to the couple's room around 10 p.m. Friday and said he needed to check for an air-vent problem. While he was in the room, he stole some of the woman's jewelry.

Rodriguez said police were obtaining surveillance video from the hotel in hopes of identifying the suspect. He said that investigators believe the heist is related to the Oct. 22 theft of $22,000 in cash and valuables from members of an Israeli basketball team while they were playing an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

In that case, a suspect wore a suit and some type of credential to gain access to Staples Center and the team's locker room at halftime.