MIAMI – A former condo association president stands accused of stealing from the residents of the Blue On The Bay, a gleaming curved 34-story tower overlooking Biscayne Bay, next to Interstate 95, in Miami.
Miami-Dade police officers arrested Ben Dvir, at about 6:25 a.m., on Wednesday, at his 15th-floor apartment at 601 NE 36 St., in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood accusing him of grand theft, according to the arrest report.
Dvir, known for his bad temper, volunteered for the Blue Condominium Association from 2019 to January when residents removed him from the board of directors, according to the police arrest report.
After residents reported their suspicions, detectives accused Dvir, 47, associated with Silk’n and Sisloy, of receiving kickbacks from a vendor and of using a company owned by his mother-in-law to cover it up, records show.
The Tile Empire, a vendor for the condo association, paid nearly $33,000 to Jadore Cosmetics, as part of an under-the-table deal that included a markup on invoices to embezzle funds from 2019 to 2021, according to detectives.
The Blue Condominium Association and Dvir had already made headlines before the arrest on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, Blue Grouper Ventures won more than $1 million in damages in its lawsuit against the Blue Condominium Association over a refusal to provide utilities in commercial units and neglecting maintenance.
While the civil lawsuit was filed in 2021 in Miami-Dade County court, residents were already worried about Dvir’s behavior, as residents, a security guard, and a valet attendant were allegedly the victims of his rage.
That year, the city of Miami code enforcement officers flagged the building as “unsafe” and found work was being done without the proper plans or permits required, records show.
Prosecutors filed a felony case against Dvir who was facing a charge of second-degree grand theft when correctional officers released him on Wednesday on a $7,500 bond, county records show.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer was set to preside over the case and Dvir’s arraignment hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m., on Oct. 13.
The related conflict is likely to continue in civil court, as the association’s attorney may seek restitution. Detectives were asking anyone with information about the case to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
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