Related videos:
A 39-year-old woman identified as Sarah Tavano faces ten criminal charges in Miami-Dade County after being accused of drugging and robbing multiple men she met in bars and nightclubs in the city.
According to police reports, the accused allegedly employed a repeated pattern that included the use of substances to incapacitate her victims, with the aim of stealing luxury watches, designer handbags, cash, mobile phones, and access to bank accounts and cryptocurrencies.
The events took place between October and December 2025, leading to his arrest on January 18, 2026, at the Sugar club, located on the 40th floor of the EAST hotel in Brickell.
At the time of his arrest, Tavano was carrying a bottle with a suspicious liquid, pills, a substance in white powder, and he stated that the contents of the bottle were MDMA.
Repeated pattern: Nightly encounters, drinks, and dispossession
According to police reports, Tavano approached men in high-profile bars, such as Sugar in Brickell or El Patio in Wynwood, initiated conversations, and managed to get the victims to invite her to their hotel rooms or apartments.
Once at the location, they shared drinks and, shortly after, the men began to experience symptoms that included nausea, dizziness, weakness, and loss of consciousness.
“She consumed a drink... she began to feel unwell, experiencing sudden nausea, weakness, and dizziness, before losing consciousness,” said one of the victims in statements to the local press.
Another man reported "prolonged symptoms of nausea, extreme weakness, dizziness, and vomiting that lasted for about a week."
In all cases, the victims regained consciousness the next day and discovered that valuable items had disappeared: Rolex watches, cash, credit cards, phones, designer handbags, and jewelry.
In at least one case, fraudulent transactions were also detected on cryptocurrency platforms and financial applications.
Documented cases
October 26, 2025 – Brickell
A man reported the theft of items valued at over $50,000 from his apartment located in the Latitude on the River building in downtown Miami.
The day before, I had met a woman—later identified as Tavano—at the Blackbird bar.
The report indicates that the man was "heavily intoxicated" during the encounter and that he did not remember inviting her to his home.
The security cameras showed the suspect entering the apartment, taking two suitcases, changing clothes, and leaving in a white sedan.
A fingerprint was found on a watch case that matched Tavano's.
Among the stolen items were bags and wallets from Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Versace, Gucci, and Saint Laurent, as well as gold and diamond jewelry.
"The clothes she wore were stolen... she stole the suitcases... filled with more than 20 luxury bags," the accused confessed after her arrest.
December 10 – Wynwood and Brickell
Another incident was reported at the Hyatt Centric Resort, where a man recounted that he met a woman at El Patio in Wynwood and returned to his room with her.
The next day, upon waking up, he noticed that his iPhone 17, his wallet, and all his credit cards were gone.
The losses were not just material: the victim discovered that unauthorized transactions totaling $34,000 had been made from their accounts, including transfers through Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and also from their cryptocurrency account on Coinbase.
"The victim reported having suffered a severe fainting spell and having lost consciousness," the police report detailed.
December 12-13 – Sugar and InterContinental Hotel
In this case, the victim met Tavano on December 12 at the Sugar club, and he took her to the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami. After drinking with her in the room, she began to feel unwell and lost consciousness.
Upon waking up on the morning of December 13, he noticed that his gold Rolex Day-Date, valued at $38,000, and $1,500 in cash were missing. The watch's serial number allowed it to be tracked, as it had been pawned. The detective assigned to the case reviewed the security footage and immediately recognized Tavano, who had been investigated on previous occasions for a similar pattern.
"I immediately recognized the woman as Sarah Tavano, whom I had previously investigated in two cases with an identical modus operandi," the officer wrote in his report.
Arrest and confession
Tavano was arrested on January 18, 2026, when the club Sugar's security staff alerted the police to her presence.
During his detention, the agents found him:
-A bag with a white powder, presumably cocaine.
A plastic cup with four pills.
A green bottle of Jägermeister with a cloudy liquid and traces of powder.
The woman confessed that the contents of the bottle contained MDMA and admitted to having stolen clothing, bags, and suitcases in at least one of the cases.
Charges submitted
Sarah Tavano faces ten charges spread across four different cases:
October 26: Burglary in an occupied residence; Second-degree grand theft; Total bail: $12,500.
December 11: Organized fraud; Third-degree grand theft; Bail: $12,500.
December 13: Armed robbery; Organized fraud; Grand theft in the second degree; Bail: $25,000.
January 18 (day of arrest): Food or water intoxication; Possession of cocaine; Possession of controlled substance; Bail: $5,000.
In total, the imposed bond amounts to $55,000, and the court has ordered that it must be proven that the funds used to cover that amount do not come from criminal activities. Judge Michelle Delancy, from the Miami-Dade circuit, presides over the judicial process.
Authorities do not rule out the possibility of more unidentified victims and have urged anyone who recognizes the accused or has had similar experiences to contact the police.
Filed under: