DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) – The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office announced the results of an undercover operation where, officials said, they found cases of corruption, leading them to arrest nearly two dozen people.
The six-month-long investigation began when the Miami-Dade Tax Collector’s Office noticed suspicious activity.
That operation led to the arrests of the following 22 people, who were charged for fraud in what was called “Operation Ghost Writer.”
- Graciela Valdez
- Belkis Escobar Navarro
- Angelica Sanchez
- Martha Gonzalez-Rosa
- Emma Castillo
- Alba Vallecillo-Martinez
- Jose Daza-Espinosa
- Yoan Lopez Perez
- Naomis Marquez-Gonzalez
- Jesus Campos-Ricardo
- Hugo Rodriguez
- Lourdes Valdes
- Ronaldo Morales Maldonado
- Marvin Codio
- Joan Alfonso
- Frank Martinez
- Lindon Donoso
- Gianna Donoso
- Ricardo Castillo
- Yurilexis Munoz
- Jorge Jaimeson
- Jose Menendez-Mederos
“After a six-month investigation, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office uncovered a coordinated fraud scheme,” said Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz. “The investigation revealed that certain clerks collaborated with motor vehicle dealers to falsify signatures, process transactions without the required parties present, and create fraudulent power of attorney documents.”
Just last week, one of those individuals, Marvin Codio, appeared before a judge.
The scheme was uncovered by Dariel Fernandez’s Office of the Tax Collector.
“Our enforcement team detected suspicious activity patterns that did no match legal, honest operations,” said Fernandez.
According to MDSO, clerks at tag agencies like one in Hialeah used their positions to access personal and protected vehicle information.
“Because in their trusted position, they had access to this information. And then they turned around and used that information, right, to garner illegal documents, and that is where the gain was,” said Cordero-Stutz.
Some of the charges faced are official misconduct, computer crimes, providing false information, vehicle title forgery, among a list of other offenses.
“The truth is, is that it’s probably countless, the types of ways where this abuse and this fraud could have been misused for more crime,” said Cordero-Stutz.
Investigators have begun to take a closer look at these agencies and have a strong message for those scheming the system.
“This is a new era. There is a new sheriff, a new tax collector in town, and we’re working together to protect this community and enforce the law,” said Fernandez.
Most, if not all, defendants at this point have bonded out of jail, but the investigation is just getting started.
The sheriff said she is now working with the Tax Collector’s Office to find ways to prevent this from happening again.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
