PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – A Miami man working for a beauty product supply company based in Pembroke Park is facing two felony charges after police said he stole more than $1 million in goods in an Amazon resale scheme.
Pembroke Park police arrested Byron Duran, 28, of Allapattah, on Thursday, six days after his employer fired him.
Recommended Videos
Authorities said Duran worked for Cortex USA, which operates out of a warehouse at 2575 SW 32nd Ave., and sold its merchandise on Amazon under his own banner, “Miami Vibes.”
But, according to an arrest report, the vibes were off at Amazon. Police said a company representative tipped off Cortex USA management about “Miami Vibes” selling products at cut-rate prices and internal investigations tied the illicit business to Duran.
Police said Duran stole the products, re-labeled them under the “Miami Vibes” brand and used Cortex USA’s FedEx shipping account to send the ill-gotten goods to customers directly from the company’s warehouse.
Authorities said the company has lost $1,132,268 in inventory because of the scheme since 2022, including losses of more than $667,000 in 2024 alone.
The arrest report states that two other employees, whose names were redacted, are suspected in the scheme: One was fired on July 9 and the other quit the same day.
Police said in an interview at their headquarters on Thursday, Duran admitted to the thefts and “disclosed that a portion of the stolen funds had been sent to his family in Nicaragua,” expressing “remorse for his actions” and said he’d be willing to pay back a portion of the losses.
Officers arrested Duran on charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud.
As of Friday afternoon, Duran was being held in the Broward Main Jail on a $75,000 bond.
According to jail records, if he posts bond, he’ll have to prove the funds came from a legitimate source and surrender his passport.
“The Pembroke Park Police Department will continue to work closely with the business and the Broward County State Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is served,” authorities said in a statement.