MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade man found himself entangled in a fraudulent 2022 investment scheme that cost him $30,000 and ended with a bizarre threat from the alleged scam artist, who police confirmed was arrested Wednesday.
Miami-Dade police said the ordeal began on Jan. 31, 2022, when the victim, a local resident, visited the home of his real estate agent.
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While at the real estate agent’s home, a woman introduced the victim to her husband, Jose Lopez, 50, who police said claimed to be the owner of Ellenbogen 1 Investments, LLC.
Lopez presented Rodriguez with what seemed to be a lucrative opportunity: investing in the “Adriano Mining Project,” a purported gold mine located in the La Libertad region of Peru, according to investigators.
Police said Lopez assured Rodriguez that a $30,000 investment could yield a return of $150,000 within 24 months, urging him to take advantage of the opportunity after selling his home.
Trusting Lopez’s pitch, an arrest report states Rodriguez wired the $30,000 from his Bank of America account to Lopez’s Wells Fargo account.
Over time, Rodriguez periodically checked in with Lopez regarding his promised returns, but each time, Lopez had no money to offer, the report stated.
After months of waiting, police said Rodriguez grew suspicious and decided to confront Lopez.
Instead of meeting at Lopez’s residence, Rodriguez arranged to meet at La Carreta, a Cuban restaurant, which both parties agreed was a neutral location.
Police said during the meeting, Rodriguez demanded his money back at which time Lopez admitted he didn’t have the funds and revealed that he owed money to several investors.
At that moment, Lopez told Rodriguez that “he knew karate,” a statement the victim found alarming, police wrote in the report.
When it became clear that Lopez had no intention of returning the money, authorities said Rodriguez filed a police report and the case was assigned to the MDPD’s Organized Crimes Bureau for investigation.
Upon reviewing the financial records, investigators confirmed the wire transfer of $30,000 from Rodriguez to Lopez. They also found multiple business accounts held by Lopez, including those that were linked to Ellenbogen 1 Investments, LLC, but no evidence of any money being transferred to the so-called “Adriano Mining Project,” authorities said.
Miami-Dade police said officers responded to Lopez’s residence near the 9700 block of Southwest 35th Street just before 7:30 a.m. to take him into custody.
After Lopez was read his Miranda rights, authorities said he made a confession to detectives that was redacted in the publicly released report.
Jail records show he faces one count of second-degree grand theft and organized fraud involving $20,000 or more but less than $50,000.
As of Thursday, Lopez was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was set at $17,500.