Rolls-Royce driver who hit Gables worker has faced scrutiny over his beauty company

The Rolls-Royce driver accused of plowing through a barricade and hitting a construction worker in Coral Gables built his image on a promise: helping others “build beautiful lives.”

Luis Urdaneta, 64, who markets himself as a self-made Venezuelan entrepreneur, often speaks of perseverance and prosperity. He is the head of a multimillion-dollar, family-run marketing company based in Doral that sells beauty products through a multi-level structure that critics have described as a pyramid scheme.

READ MORE: Rolls-Royce driver on his way to Gables Whole Foods hits construction worker, cops say

Over the years, he and his company, Monat Global, have faced increasing scrutiny, including class-action lawsuits and run-ins with the FDA over whether the company’s hair-thickening products lead to hair loss and burning scalps.

In January, he had a run-in with a construction worker in the Gables that led him to spend the night in the county jail.

Urdaneta was behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce when he intentionally drove through a barricade and struck a construction worker on his way to the Whole Foods Market in Coral Gables on Jan. 9, according to Coral Gables police. Gables police arrested him Wednesday at his $6.5 million 7-bedroom, 8-bath home in the Ponce/Davis part of Miami-Dade, adjacent to the Gables, according to his arrest report and Miami-Dade property records.

As of Thursday afternoon, he remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond.

Beauty business

Urdaneta is the chairman and co-founder of Monat Global, a multi-level marketing company known for selling hair, skincare and wellness products, mainly over social media.

Monat’s corporate origin story is heavily built around the Urdaneta family brand: a tight-knit entrepreneurial dynasty that turned direct sales into a global business. Urdaneta describes himself as a “first-generation direct-sales entrepreneur” who “quickly worked his way to the top.” according to the company’s website.

After running a successful direct-selling business in Latin America, he and his son Rayner Urdaneta co-founded Alcora Group, which later became the parent company of MONAT, according to the website.

They launched Monat in October 2014, promoting what it calls “premium products and a rewarding opportunity,” with the company framing itself as a movement aimed at helping people “make the world a better place one person at a time.”

Today, the company lists multiple Urdaneta family members in leadership roles, including Rayner Urdaneta as CEO, Luis Urdaneta as chairperson, and other relatives holding senior titles.

‘Rebel Leadership’

Urdaneta has also marketed himself as a motivational business leader. In his memoir “ Rebel Leadership,” he descri bes himself as a Venezuelan-born entrepreneur who grew up poor, lacked a high school diploma, and built a near-billion-dollar business through discipline and grit.

His story includes early success selling Tupperware, a financial collapse at age 39 after leaving the industry, and then a comeback through direct sales.

Customer complaints, lawsuits

Along the way, however, Monat has faced lawsuits and customer complaints filed with the Food and Drug Administration about the company’s hair products.

Monat’s former president Stuart A. MacMillan sued the company in April 2024 in Miani-Dade Circuit Court, accusing Urdaneta, his son Rayner, and the company of orchestrating a scheme to dilute profits and avoid paying MacMillan millions he alleged were owed to him through a profit-sharing agreement. The case was dismissed in March 2025.

In 2018, Sue Hoffpauir filed a class-action lawsuit in Miami federal court alleging that Monat products caused her and many woman extensive hair loss, according to court records. The suit, which was dismissed, alleged Monat operates as a pyramid scheme, with the Urdaneta family at the top of the pyramid.

“Monat knowingly preyed on women’s humble desire for self-beautification through longer, thicker, more luxuriant hair, “ the suit alleged. ”That simple hope was crushed by the reality Monat delivered: painful scalp irritation and embarrassing hair loss for many consumers. To further their deceit, Monat erases all consumer complaints about hair loss or scalp irritation from its website…”

That same year, 2018, the FDA issued a statement saying that since August 2017, the agency “has received and is assessing 199 adverse event reports related to Monat hair products. We urge consumers who have experienced problems with cosmetics to contact us....” according to a report published by 10News, the ABC affiliate in San Diego.

In the criminal Coral Gables case, Urdaneta is being represented by Natalie Leitman, a Miami-Dade public defender. She did not respond to the Herald’s query about the case.

Miami Herald staff writer Devoun Cetoute contributed to this report.

This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 6:41 PM.