Women caught on camera allegedly stealing wedding ring from shopper
WELLINGTON, FL (KTRK) -- A Florida woman is still looking for the suspects who stole her wedding rings from a mall counter earlier this month.
The stolen rings are valued at thousands of dollars, but to Nicole Benjoino, they're priceless.
"My grandmother had given those rings to me. I actually got married on my grandmother's birthday, everything that I wear is in memory of her, every butterfly that I have," Benjoino said through tears.
While visiting a Florida mall earlier this month, Benjoino got her rings cleaned by a jeweler.
VIDEO: Million-dollar jewelry heist caught on camera
"She suggested that when I take a shower or wash my hands, that I take them off. I mentioned at the time that I never take my rings off."
With that in mind, she went to Bath and Body Works to try some new soaps.
"I did a very ridiculous thing and I took the rings off, washed my hands," she recalls.
"By the time I realized they weren't on my hands and I turned back around, they were gone."
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the young woman seen in surveillance photos took the rings, showed them off to some other women and then then left the store.
The rings together are valued at $14,000, but Benjoino says it's not about the money -- it's about keeping her grandmother's memory close to her heart.
"Just having the ring on my finger was like her still a part of me...and just protecting me."
