James Curtis
•9/17/2026
A Collier County man was arrested on Tuesday after he was accused of stealing $44,000 from a victim purchasing cooking oil in Cuba to be delivered to their brother. According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office arrest report, Bryan Jesus Camallery Perez, 25, was reportedly helping the victim, and they met at Publix on Thomasson Drive. The victim got into Perez's vehicle, and they agreed to wait until confirmation was received by the brother that he had gotten the cooking oil before the victim paid Perez, who was reportedly going by Frank Linares to both the victim and the brother, the report stated. The total price for the oil was $77,500, and the victim was going to pay a partial amount of $44,000 to Perez. The report noted that the victim went to Wells Fargo on Palm Beach Boulevard in Lee County on three different days to withdraw $15,000 each day. According to the report, the victim had the $44,000 in cash inside of a small black Guess bag in the vehicle while the two were driving. Perez and the victim counted the money to make sure it was all there, and Perez was inspecting the money to ensure it was not fake. Perez and the victim went to get food and go to the beach while they waited for confirmation from the victim's brother that the oil was delivered. They then stopped at the BP gas station on Collier Boulevard to use the restroom while the bag with the money stayed in the vehicle's center console. The report states that Perez used the bathroom first, and when the victim went to use the bathroom, Perez was accused of leaving the gas station. The victim contacted the sheriff's office to say that their money and keys were inside the vehicle, and the gas station employee allowed deputies to view the surveillance footage. Deputies said they were able to run the vehicle's license plate, and when they saw Perez, he was reportedly wearing the same shirt, pants, shoes and jewelry as in the footage, so he was detained. Perez told deputies his story of the events and said the victim was acting weird and stated they only had some of the money, so he admitted he left when the victim was in the restroom, according to the report. Perez reportedly said he never saw the money and did not know where it was, the report stated. He also said when he got home, he left in an Uber to go to Physician's Regional Medical Center on Pine Ridge Road before coming back. The vehicle was searched, and the keys were found inside, but the black Guess bag was not found. After looking at doorbell camera footage, Perez was seen reportedly with the bag when entering and leaving the home before the Uber ride, but it was not with him when he got back, according to the report. Perez was arrested and faces a charge of larceny - grand theft ($20,000 or more, less than $100,000). DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
