Mother, Daughter Arrested After Alleged Theft At “The Boca Raton”

COPS: HID SHOES, BATHING SUIT IN DOG STROLLER!

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boca Raton woman and her mother face felony charges after police say they used a dog stroller to sneak $1,725 worth of merchandise out of the shops at The Boca Raton. Then they came back. Danielle Victoria Spoleti, 30, and her mother, Joanne Denardo, were arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with retail theft while coordinating with others.

According to the probable cause affidavit obtained by BocaNewsNow.com, store employees reported a shoplifting at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, but the women were gone by the time resort security arrived. The resort’s assistant director of security reviewed the video Sunday morning and put his officers on alert. When the pair returned around midday, security followed them and called police, reporting the women had become verbally aggressive. A Boca Raton Police officer detained them as they walked toward the Mizner Boulevard exit.

Video from Saturday shows Denardo, pushing a dog stroller with a dog inside, picking up a pair of beige shoes and tucking them behind the animal, police say. Spoleti allegedly stepped just out of camera view in a corner of the store, then walked back wearing a blue pair of the store’s shoes while carrying the beige ones she arrived in. Neither paid. Investigators say the confirmed losses so far are three pairs of shoes at $475 each and two swim trunks at $150 each. After being read her rights, Spoleti told police she and her mother were “exploring membership” and that she kept the shoes on because she thought her mother was paying for them.

Denardo told the officer she had come back to return two bathing suits because the guilt was weighing on her. The officer found both, tags still attached, tucked under the mat where the dog was lying. Asked why she was nearly off the property without mentioning them, Denardo said the security officer following them had scared her. Spoleti complained of chest palpitations at the scene but refused to go to the hospital once an ambulance arrived. Both women were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail, with bond for Spoleti listed at $5,000. Her father took the dog.

The Boca Raton is the current — and much joked about name — of the former “Boca Resort.” Mom and daughter list a condo on Plaza Real South as their home address.

We remind readers that charges filed by law enforcement agencies are allegations and that all criminal defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We also remind readers that civil court filings are allegations made by the party filing suit. The validity of those allegations will be determined in court. If you are the subject of reporting that you believe is inaccurate, please email us immediately at clarification@bocanewsnow.com.