A former AutoNation Honda Miami Lakes finance supervisor has been arrested after allegedly accumulating greater than $100,000 in offers for automobiles he by no means produced.
Carlos Ravelo, 51, was charged with one depend of an organized scheme to defraud $50,000 or extra; two counts of second-degree grand theft; one depend of organized fraud of $50,000 or extra; eight counts of third-degree grand theft; one depend of theft from the aged; and 4 counts of writing a nugatory verify, in keeping with the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Division.
Miami-Dade Police Division reviews comprise a number of situations of shoppers reporting that they had purchased automobiles for money from Ravelo however by no means obtained the fashions or a full refund.
AutoNation Honda basic supervisor Armando Ibanez stated the dealership has been investigating buyer complaints as effectively, in keeping with police.
Ibanez “made it clear that [Ravelo] was promoting automobiles that belong to [the] Honda dealership, as in the event that they had been his personal automobiles,” police wrote in a single report.
A staffer on the Florida dealership on Friday stated Ravelo not labored there; police reviews recommend Ravelo was suspended and later fired. AutoNation has not but responded to a request for remark or affirmation of his employment standing. Cellphone and e mail messages for Ravelo haven’t but been returned, nor have e mail messages to his attorneys.
Ravelo has entered pleas of not responsible to most of the costs; pleas haven’t but been recorded in others.
Among the many accounts taken by police:
Luis Quiñones instructed authorities he purchased what he thought was a number of AutoNation Honda automobiles in November 2022 for a mixed $50,000 in money from Ravelo, in keeping with a police report. Quiñones stated he by no means obtained any of them, however Ravelo solely returned $45,000.
Elio Circumstances instructed police he met Ravelo at AutoNation Honda in November 2022 after Ravelo contacted him a few automobile deal. Inside Ravelo’s AutoNation Honda workplace, Ravelo stated a 2019 Honda Civic was obtainable for $9,000, however the buyer “might solely buy the automobile money, by him since he was the ‘monetary supervisor’ on the dealership.” Circumstances “said that he was underneath the impression that the deal was a legit transaction as a result of it was completed within the workplace of the topic who was the supervisor of AutoNation Honda,” police wrote.
After accumulating the cash, Ravelo stated the automobile was within the store, however he would name when it was prepared. Later, Ravelo stated the deal had fallen by and gave Circumstances a refund — however Circumstances claimed the verify bounced, in keeping with police.
“Sufferer said that the AutoNation workers instructed him to file a police report as a result of the suspect has completed the identical crime to different clients,” police wrote.
Yuliety Borges instructed police she trusted AutoNation Honda after shopping for a earlier automobile there. She additionally knew Ravelo, who had attended college along with her mother-in-law.
Borges stated Ravelo instructed her he might get her a deal on a automobile, however provided that she paid money, in keeping with police. She instructed police she paid Ravelo $30,000 and a second, closing installment of $32,000, however she by no means obtained the automobile, and Ravelo stop taking her calls. When she went to the dealership, she discovered Ravelo had been suspended due to complaints like hers, police stated.