By Henry Pierson Curtis
Orlando Sentinel
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Leonardo Perez stands out in a world of criminals where most thugs take whatever they can get like hungry people at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The veteran robber’s tastes are so refined that he specialized in the truffle of Swiss wristwatches: the gold Rolex Presidential edition. And he shows his brand loyalty with a tattoo of a Rolex logo inked forever on his left forearm.
During a four-month spree in 2007, the Miami native took eight gold Rolexes worth as much as $50,000 each by holding guns to the heads of owners he had stalked to their homes in Bay Hill, Windermere, Kissimmee and Clearwater. But those days are over for now.
Soon, the only way Perez will tell time is by a prison clock. He faces 25 years for the robbery spree that began shortly after Perez finished serving a 17-year sentence for stealing Rolexes in South Florida.
He recently pleaded guilty to the robbery charges, and he was to have been sentenced Thursday in an Orange County court. But his sentencing was delayed. A new date has not been set.
“In all of the crimes I have investigated, I have never had a case where the suspect was so focused and determined on a single item,” Orange County sheriff’s Cpl. Rob Branch said of Perez’s Rolex obsession. “We know he did the occasional common robbery for quick cash or gas, but when it came to Rolexes, he became as focused and as hyped up as a professional athlete would before a big game.”
Investigators say Perez knew Rolexes so well that he once did a U-turn after spotting one on the wrist of a motorist driving in the opposite direction. He even tailed victims after spotting Rolexes on their wrists in frugal millionaires’ shops of choice: Sam’s Club and Walmart, court records state.
In some cases, the 36-year-old criminal spent several hours following the Rolex owners, typically wealthy men in their 60s. Many had been shopping or dining when Perez noticed their gold chronometers, records state.
Investigators say that by waiting to strike until his victims returned home, Perez increased the terror they felt being held at gunpoint in what the victims thought was their safest place on Earth.
Former Osceola County Commissioner Tom Franklin, one of those victims, remembers every detail of what happened.
“Even today, 21/2 years later, I’m still very cautious,” Franklin said Wednesday, describing an elaborate security camera system he installed at his Kissimmee home after Perez forced him and his wife to lie on the ground. “I think it had more of an effect on my wife than me. . . . If something happens now, she’ll be able to see it on the cameras and call for help.”
Perez followed the Franklins for several hours June 14, 2007, before stripping Tom Franklin of his $25,000 Rolex, a gift from a former employer. Perez ran to a waiting black SUV, which investigators later learned was driven by Perez’s girlfriend. Her 3-year-old child was also in the SUV.
“The 25-year sentence still disappoints, given he held up eight or nine people,” said Franklin, who followed the getaway vehicle and copied its tag for police. “He’s a brazen guy.”
In a second Osceola case, Perez threatened to kill a Rolex owner in the Remington Oaks neighborhood. The owner fought back and fired a shot at Perez after being robbed of his $35,000 Rolex, records show.
Not even the gates at the Keene’s Pointe neighborhood of $600,000 to $900,000 homes in Windermere kept Perez out. His accomplice on June 1, 2007, Laquinda Brown, later told investigators she duped a guard at the security gate into letting them enter by saying they wanted to visit the real-estate office, records show.
The couple had been following resident Neal Rodrique for more than 90 minutes after noticing he was wearing a Rolex while they were driving in traffic. They waited while he ate lunch at a Popeyes restaurant, shopped at an Albertsons supermarket and then jumped him and choked him until he lost consciousness, records show.
Copyright 2009 Sentinel Communications Co.