serial scammers get stiff prison sentences
Yovany Serna and Vivian Rodriguez, pictured in an undated vacation photo in the Bahamas. The Hialeah couple has been convicted of fleecing an investor of over $1 million. MIAMI-DADE CIRCUIT COURT FILE
Two months after Hialeah couple Vivian Rodriguez and Yovany Serna were convicted of fleecing a family out of nearly $1.8 million in an investment scam, a Miami judge has sentenced them to 15 and 14 years in prison, respectively. And that may be just the beginning of their legal problems. Hialeah police detectives have now identified at least 19 victims in a separate scam. The pair preyed on desperate home hunters, stealing rental deposits for the same Hialeah efficiency, cops say. They are facing dozens of new felony charges that could significantly boost the time they spend in prison.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article259144933.html#storylink=cpy
Vivian Rodriguez and Yovany Serna are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from people who were simply looking to rent out an apartment.
The couple lives in a one story property on West 60th street in Hialeah.
Investigators say the pair made an online listing for a side efficiency unit and unsuspecting victims answered the add on Facebook marketplace.
They were even given a tour of the unit before handing over cash deposits ranging from $1,100 to $1,200.
On Monday both Rodriguez and Serna appeared before a judge following their arrest.
Police say when moving day came around for those would be tenants, they were given various excuses on why the apartment wasn’t ready.
At some point, the couple stopped answering calls from the victims.
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/02/07/hialeah-couple-charged-after-being-busted-for-apartment-rental-scam/
December 11, 2018
Attorney Doug Jeffrey of the Law Offices of Douglas J. Jeffrey in Miami Lakes. Courtesy photo
A Hialeah couple has been accused of running a fake house-flipping business through which they allegedly took more than $1.6 million from an investor and spent it on vacations and other personal purchases.
Vivian Rodriguez and Yovany Serna, who are married, were arrested and have been charged with 28 counts each of first-degree grand theft, first-degree organized fraud and third-degree money laundering, all felonies, according to a Nov. 19 arrest affidavit.
They also face a civil suit that makes similar claims as the criminal charges. According to the civil complaint and arrest affidavit, Rodriguez, 50, is a real estate agent who entered into a business venture with Paulino Aguilera, saying that he would buy distressed properties for cheap; then Serna, 49, would fix them; and then they would re-sell at a profit that they would all share. Instead, the majority of the about 30 deals were fake transactions that never took place, according to the affidavit. While the properties, mostly single-family homes in Miami-Dade County exist, it's said that they weren't even listed for sale.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hialeah-couple-accused-running-fraudulent-083518282.html