Miami woman pleads guilty in connection to stealing cellphones at Coachella Fest
A Miami woman pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property in connection with a rash of cell phone thefts at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and was immediately sentenced to three years probation.
Multiple counts of grand theft filed against Brenda Cansino, 30, were dismissed as part of her plea deal.
Cansino was arrested April 22, along with Sharon Ruiz, 25, of Van Nuys and Marco Leon, 28, of Los Angeles, after Indio police said they were found with cell phones and other property taken from attendees during the festival’s second weekend.
Learn how to protect your iPhone from being lost or stolen
Cansino’s co-defendants are still facing multiple counts of grand theft.
Ruiz remains free on bail and will return to court next month, while Leon has not appeared in court since his attorney said in May that his client had been taken into custody by immigration officials.
Read: Man arrested for allegedly stealing more than 100 cell phones at Coachella Fest
The 2017 festival saw 277 people arrested or cited across both weekends. The 277 mark exceeded last year’s total of 270, though the 2017 festival crowd was also larger than previous years due to the Indio City Council’s approval of an attendance cap increase from 99,000 to 125,000 at the
Empire Polo Grounds.
The festival returns to the Empire Polo Grounds next year, with Beyonce as the only confirmed headliner at present.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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