South Florida

Is South Florida the capital of fraud? Here’s the fallout from 8 scandals in 2024

Stories by Miami Herald journalists, with AI summarization

South Florida has become a focal point for scandals involving fraud in politics, real estate and COVID-19 pandemic relief funding.

Cases include luxury purchases by individuals exploiting pandemic loan programs and elaborate Ponzi schemes cloaked in real estate investments.

Political antics also take center stage, with ghost candidate schemes allegedly orchestrated to manipulate elections and deepen political divides.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

Instagram post by developer Rishi Kapoor’s URBIN Condos brand shows Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at the groundbreaking for a project in Coconut Grove. Company records show Kapoor (center right) had been paying Suarez (center left) $10,000 per month as a consultant.

NO. 1: SEC ACCUSES DEVELOPER WHO HAD MIAMI MAYOR ON PAYROLL OF FLEECING MILLIONS FROM INVESTORS

A federal judge froze Rishi Kapoor’s bank accounts, requiring him to provide a “sworn accounting” of his assets. | Published January 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jay Weaver

El acusado admitió que gastó el dinero en viajes de vacaciones, en el seguro de su colección de arte y joyas y en niñeras.

NO. 2: SOUTH FLORIDA CEO AND A MIAMI WOMAN STOLE MILLIONS IN FEDERAL PANDEMIC LOANS, OFFICIALS SAY

Here’s what we know | Published February 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by Devoun Cetoute

Daniela Rendon, a Miami real estate broker, used some of the proceeds from her government-backed pandemic business loans to lease a Bentley Bentayga Hybrid like the one pictured above.

NO. 3: LAMBOS. JEWELS. HOW ‘EASY MONEY’ FROM UNCLE SAM MADE MIAMI A FEAST FOR PPP FRAUDSTERS

“Fraud for a lot of these guys is the new dope,” says a federal investigator in Miami | Published March 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jay Weaver

The former location of Sabor Latino Bar & Grill, 2350 NW Seventh St., in a Little Havana strip mall. Prosecutors say Miami police officer Djimy Joseph owned the restaurant and that misdemanor violation led to an investigation that found felony violations. By DAVID J. NEAL

NO. 4: EX-MIAMI COP LIED TO GET $246,000 IN PPP LOANS DURING THE PANDEMIC, AUTHORITIES SAY

A routine inspection of Djimy Joseph’s Sabor Latino Bar & Grill in Miami led investigators to open a public corruption probe into the Miami police officer. Police officers cannot own a bar. | Published April 29, 2024 | Read Full Story by Omar Rodríguez Ortiz

Lottery ticket worth $2 million sold at gas station in Florida Panhandle. The buyer was from Alabama. By Getty Images | Royalty Free

NO. 5: MIAMI MEN WILL PAY $1.29 MILLION AFTER ALLEGED FRAUD TARGETING MIAMI VENEZUELANS

What the SEC described looks like a Ponzi scheme. | Published October 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by David J. Neal

Five more people have been charged by the SEC in the MJ Capital Funding fraud. By Getty Images | Royalty Free

NO. 6: FIVE MORE POSSIBLE CRONIES OF BROWARD’S ‘MOTHER TERESA’ CHARGED IN HER $196M FRAUD

More charges in the MJ Capital scam. | Published October 2, 2024 | Read Full Story by David J. Neal

Frank Artiles, center, sits with his attorneys and Frank Quintero, left, and Jose Quiñon, right, wait for the jury to return a verdict during his trial on inside Courtroom 4-1 at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Monday, September 30, 2024, in Miami, Florida. By Carl Juste

NO. 7: A FAKE FLORIDA CANDIDATE SCHEME WAS BROAD. DOES EX-SENATOR’S CONVICTION END THE CASE?

“This wasn’t just Artiles.” | Published October 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos

Hombre que le estafó $760,000 a FedEx al reclamar paquetes que nunca se enviaron enfrenta larga condena.

NO. 8: HIALEAH TRIO FACES PRISON AFTER RIPPING OFF $14.5 MILLION FROM PANDEMIC LOAN PROGRAM

A Hialeah-based ring hatched an elaborate fraudulent plot to cash in on the PPP loan program for businesses during the pandemic. | Published November 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jay Weaver

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.