HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A woman has been arrested following Homestead police said they were being seeking for her and two guys in connection with a true estate rip-off that qualified folks who were being wanting to hire households.
According to Homestead Law enforcement Capt. Fernando Morales, Priscilla Marie Contreras, 32, turned herself in to police Sunday night time because of to strain from relatives users who saw the tale on the news.
She faces several charges from Homestead and Miami circumstances, such as grand theft, organized plan to defraud, acting as a true estate broker without having a license and illegal use of a communications product.
Morales explained two other men and women thought to be concerned in the scheme, Yordani Carriles Diaz, 43, and Deinoser Bravo, 47, stay at large.
In accordance to a news launch from the Homestead Law enforcement Department, there are various instances in which Contreras pretended to be a realtor and lured victims to vacant houses by means of social media. When at the homes, Diaz and Bravo posed as the property owners and took money from the victims, authorities stated.
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A man named Kenny instructed Area 10 Information that he spotted the listing on Facebook with the seller’s information and facts, and when he visited the Miami-Dade dwelling, a lady named Priscilla and two other individuals greeted him.
“We came by, we appreciated the house. I necessarily mean, every little thing seemed legit,” Kenny claimed.
He said he signed a lease and handed over extra than $5,000 for first and last month’s rent, as well as a security deposit.
On transfer-in working day, which was past Tuesday, Kenny who is also a father of two, explained he arrived in a U-Haul when he observed other family members pulling up to the residence.
What Kenny didn’t know is that Contreras experienced entry to the residence, because courtroom data present Contreras was the home’s tenant, combating eviction.
One more victim of the scam was Maria Urra, who is 7 months pregnant, and stated she gave the trio near to $5,000 in hard cash right after seeing the write-up on Fb Market.
“I am seeking to look for a spot in which I could bring my baby when I give beginning,” Urra claimed right after providing them all of her discounts.
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The home owners reported Contreras stopped having to pay rent for the property.
“The Homestead Police Department does believe there are lots of extra victims out there,” Morales claimed.
Police said the trio is accused of arranged scheme to defraud in at minimum nine conditions in Homestead, ranging from Feb. 18 to March 4.
Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta verified that his division is also investigating many instances with regards to rental fraud, but reported they are however “in the approach of figuring out the matter.”
Contreras’ attorney requested for a minimized bond for the duration of her listening to Monday, arguing that his customer only has a couple of misdemeanors on her file and has a 2-thirty day period-old infant to treatment for.
In courtroom it was mentioned that the whole volume of dollars she took from the victims in Homestead was $24,000.
The judge eventually purchased that Contreras be held in lieu of a $28,500 bond. A nebbia listening to will be necessary to assure that the dollars applied to pay her bond is not revenue that was stolen from the victims.
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If she posts bond, she will be outfitted with a GPS check and positioned on house arrest. She has also been requested to not have any call with the victims.
Anyone with details about the remaining suspects or their whereabouts is requested to get in touch with the Homestead Police Section at 305-247-1535 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-Suggestions.
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