HIALEAH, Fla. – Christopher Landy Mora found himself in a familiar environment Thursday, as he was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center for the fourth time this year on fraud charges connected to his Hialeah used car dealership.
State officials shut down Realeza Motors, which was located at 5612 E. 8 Ave., according to previous arrest reports.
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Mora, who was first arrested in March, has been accused of leaving a 73-year-old woman in “financial ruin”, fraudulently changing titles on consigned vehicles and even inviting one of his victims out on a date in order to gain her “sympathy,” earning numerous felony charges along the way.
In the latest case, which netted Mora seven more felony counts, the one-time car dealer is accused of defrauding a financial services company out of about $49,314 for three vehicles with open liens.
In one instance, police said a man who bought a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette from Realeza Motors complained of mechanical issues with the sports car and contacted Mora, who said the repairs would be under warranty.
Police said the allegations date back to September 2022, months before Mora’s first arrest.
Authorities said Mora, 24, had the car towed away for repairs and the victim never saw the Corvette again. In fact, police said they haven’t found it either.
They said Mora turned himself into Hialeah police headquarters — coincidentally located across the street from his old dealership — just before 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Authorities formally booked him into TGK later that night on three counts of third-degree grand theft, two counts of scheme to defraud a financial institution and single counts of organized scheme to defraud and selling a vehicle with an altered ID.
He remained held at TGK on a $17,500 bond as of Friday afternoon, jail records show.
Miami-Dade court records also show the previous cases remain open as of Friday afternoon.
Local 10 News has contacted Mora’s attorney, Edward Tapanes, seeking comment on the latest case and has not received a response as of publication.
He’s previously defended his client’s innocence in statements to Local 10 News.