A Tunisian woman, Maissa Jebali, 22, was arrested in Miami after allegedly stealing her ex-boyfriend’s American Express credit card and transferring over $800,000 worth of Donald Trump-inspired cryptocurrency to herself. Jebali has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of grand theft and credit card theft, according to a criminal complaint obtained by HuffPost. While she has not been charged with stealing the cryptocurrency, her ex-boyfriend, Michael Anthony Bravo, fears that if she is deported, she may still have access to his money. Bravo and Jebali had been dating for six months before her arrest.
The incident began on the night of February 8, when the couple got into an argument on Bravo’s yacht. When Bravo woke up the next morning, Jebali was gone, along with his Amex card. He later discovered that $4,239.44 had been charged to his card for Airbnb transactions, according to the criminal complaint. Bravo also reported that $800,000 worth of “Trump Coin” had vanished from his cryptocurrency wallet and was transferred to another account. It remains unclear whether the cryptocurrency in question is the official $TRUMP coin endorsed by Donald Trump or one of the many unofficial cryptocurrencies inspired by the former president.
Following the altercation, Jebali did not return to Bravo’s yacht or respond to his attempts to contact her. Instead, police said she continued to use Bravo’s credit card at multiple locations. Bravo reported the incident to the police on February 12. A private investigator later located Jebali at a local hotel on Valentine’s Day, and police were notified. An officer approached Jebali at the hotel bar, informing her that Bravo had reported some of his belongings stolen. Jebali reportedly responded by calling Bravo a “loser” and claiming that he had allowed her to use his credit card. She also stated that she had ended the relationship and did not plan on returning to him, admitting to using his credit card without permission.
Jebali was briefly held in a Louisiana jail before being transferred to ICE custody in Florida. Her immigration status in the U.S. is unclear. David Bolton, the private investigator working with Bravo, expressed concerns that Jebali could be deported with access to the stolen cryptocurrency. “According to the new immigration laws, she should be deported within the next 48 hours,” Bolton told The Independent. “We’re trying to stop that, but we just don’t know if we’ll be successful or not.” Bolton emphasized the urgency of the situation, describing it as a “race to beat the clock” to prevent Jebali from being deported while still having access to the stolen funds.
Bolton also highlighted the need for a thorough examination of the case before any deportation decision is made. “We can’t just be in a hurry to push people out of the country for some political reason,” he told NBC affiliate WTVJ. “We need to examine each case and the crimes involved here and make a determination.” Meanwhile, an attorney representing Jebali told WTVJ that she would bond out of ICE custody and insisted that “justice will be served.” However, when HuffPost reached out to the attorney for comment, they did not immediately respond.
As the case unfolds, Bravo remains concerned about the potential consequences of Jebali’s deportation and the possibility that she may retain access to his stolen funds. The situation raises questions about the intersection of immigration laws, crypto theft, and the challenges of recovering stolen digital assets. For now, Jebali faces felony charges, and her legal and immigration fate hangs in the balance.
