Neiman Marcus Employee Arrested Twice in March in Alleged Retail Theft Scheme

by Ryan Yousefi March 31, 2026

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Patricia Isaura Castillo {BSO}

A Neiman Marcus Last Call employee at Sawgrass Mills Mall was arrested twice in March after investigators uncovered an ongoing retail theft scheme involving coordinated transactions and the theft of thousands of dollars in merchandise.

Sunrise Police Department investigation records show Patricia Isaura Castillo, 44, of Coral Springs, was first arrested on March 10 and then again on March 26 as detectives uncovered what they described as an ongoing operation involving voided transactions and outside participants.

According to police, the investigation began after a March 9 incident at Neiman Marcus inside the Sawgrass Mills Mall, where Castillo allegedly rang up more than $1,000 in merchandise but voided nearly all of it, allowing a customer to leave with a $129 payment.

Store asset protection staff told officers that the transaction was not an isolated incident and provided surveillance footage showing Castillo using her employee register and PIN to process the fraudulent sale without the involvement of other employees.

When confronted, Castillo allegedly admitted to completing the transaction but claimed she was being threatened by her ex-boyfriend, who she said had been sending individuals to her register and forcing her to void purchases. Investigators noted she never reported these alleged threats to police.

She was arrested and charged with grand retail theft for that incident.

But weeks later, detectives say the case expanded significantly.

A second investigation revealed Castillo had allegedly carried out the same scheme multiple times earlier in the month. Surveillance footage and transaction records showed at least 17 fraudulent transactions between March 1 and March 9, totaling more than $11,500 in stolen merchandise.

In those cases, Castillo allegedly rang up large quantities of merchandise for customers, then voided most of the items while allowing them to leave with the goods after paying only a fraction of the total cost.

Police say the pattern showed coordination with outside individuals, indicating an organized retail theft scheme rather than a single isolated act.

On March 25, Castillo turned herself in to Sunrise Police and was taken into custody again. She was transported to the Broward County Main Jail.

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Ryan Yousefi: Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiple outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.