Miami-Dade accountant arrested in Hammocks HOA theft scheme, state attorney says
The accountant for the Hammocks Homeowners Association, accused of fraudulently collecting almost $500,000 at the expense of the Kendall homeowners in the state’s largest HOA, has been arrested, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Friday.
Jesus Cue, a 63-year-old business consultant, has been charged with eight counts related to his alleged scheme, including racketeering, money laundering, theft and fraud, according to Fernandez Rundle.
His arrest follows the arrest of former Hammocks HOA President Marglli Gallego, her husband, a cousin, board members and several others, all facing charges related to a scheme to drain the HOA’s bank accounts with checks written to sham vendors.
As of Friday afternoon, Cue was being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility on a $210,000 bond. A contact for a lawyer was not immediately available.
Cue served as the Hammocks’ controller and accountant. He was was hired by the HOA to provide business and accounting services through his company, Worldwide Business Solution Corp., between 2018 and 2022, according to the state attorney’s office.
READ MORE: Man charged with bilking homeowners out of thousands at state’s largest HOA, state says
During that time, Cue received about $644,000 in payments from the HOA — an average of $161,000 a year — even as the HOA faced significant financial issues, including a $375,000 short-term loan taken out to cover basic operating costs, as Cue testified in a bankruptcy court proceeding, according to Fernandez Rundle.
READ MORE: Fee increases of 300 to 400% stun residents of Florida’s largest homeowners association
The investigation uncovered that Cue allegedly played a key role in funneling HOA funds to friends and relatives of several board members. Some of these people set up fake companies to disguise the payments, with Cue’s company listed as their registered agent.
Three such companies — Albri Consulting LLC, Aya Service and Repair Corp., and Kaissen Technology LLC — received nearly $500,000 in payments from the HOA, according to Fernandez Rundle.
One witness, Dante Chauca, the husband of former HOA board member Monica Isabel Ghilardi, testified that former HOA president Gallego directed Cue to create a false company, Albri Consulting, to pay Ghilardi a hidden salary, according to authorities. Chauca, who was listed as “manager,” stated he did not authorize the creation of the company and later confronted Cue about it. Cue allegedly reassured him, saying, “not to worry about it,” according to a news release from the state attorney’s office.
Other trouble at the Hammocks HOA
Last month, Ivan Dario Diez, 58, was charged with grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, fabricating evidence, and perjury after being implicated in a plot to divert homeowners’ monthly maintenance fees from the West Kendall community’s HOA. Diez is accused of funneling these funds to fake companies controlled by the relatives of Gallego, who is described by Fernandez Rundle as the leader of the criminal operation.
A court-appointed receiver has estimated that the theft and mismanagement drained approximately $6 million from the HOA’s bank accounts. This money was funneled through checks written to bogus vendors, as well as wasteful spending and financial mismanagement.
READ MORE: Leaders of Florida’s largest homeowners association charged in $2 million fraud scheme
Gallego, who faces charges of racketeering and money laundering, allegedly used some of the stolen funds to pay for surveillance of her rivals, cover her own legal fees, and fund personal purchases, including a house in Colombia and renovations on a property in Miami. Her husband, who was paid $1.26 million during the alleged scheme, reportedly had no evidence of performing any work, owning any legitimate businesses, or pulling any permits.
“No homeowner should have to worry about how their HOA is handling the association’s funds,” Fernandez Rundle said. “Our investigation of the thefts at the Hammocks HOA has shed a bright light on a crime that may be occurring throughout our state.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 12:11 PM.