HIALEAH, Fla. – A former real estate agent whose license had been revoked by the state operated a real estate scam out of Hialeah, pretending to be an agent and “selling” the same property to multiple victims and stealing their deposits, police say.
According to a Hialeah police arrest warrant, 47-year-old Reyner Labrada, of Miami Lakes, ran “Miami Neighborhood Realty” and later “305 Rentals & Sales Realty LLC” out of an office complex at 7600 W. 20th Ave. in Hialeah.
Recommended Videos
According to the report, Labrada had to start 305 Rentals & Sales Realty after the state suspended his license in Sept. 2020 and used his wife’s name and broker license for the new company.
The warrant states that Labrada’s secretary “noticed there were multiple clients who would give the same deposit amount for properties with the same address.”
The secretary noted that “over (100) clients asked for full refunds and have made several complaints about (Labrada)’s business practices,” according to the warrant.
The warrant focuses on a property in the 18000 block of Northwest 48th Place in Miami Gardens.
Police allege that Labrada “sold” that property to at least five victims, collecting at least $15,000 after the victims signed contracts.
However, police say Labrada never followed through on promised closing dates and did not provide refunds when requested.
The actual owner of the property later told Hialeah police that he had renters living in the property the whole time and “(has) not had any business dealings with (Labrada), his wife, or the companies Miami Neighborhood Realty or 305 Rentals and Sales Realty,” according to the arrest warrant.
Labrada faces 11 felony charges, including organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and acting as a real estate broker without a license.
He was arrested Friday and was held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $280,000 bond.