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A Cuban was arrested in Miami on Monday charged with appropriating a car and thousands of dollars that a client entrusted to him for arranging the shipment of the vehicle to Cuba.
The arrest report from the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office (MDSO), accessed by Telemundo 51, identified the detained individual as Carlos Ravelo, 53 years old.
The victim, named Yosvani Leva Cabrera, went to the offices of AutosPremier Finance on July 16, where he met with Ravelo to arrange for the car's export to Cuba.
There, he signed a contract that set the shipping cost of the car at $8,000 and handed that amount of cash to Ravelo, along with the title and the keys to the vehicle. The business's surveillance cameras captured the suspect counting the money in the presence of the victim.
On July 27, Leva was informed that the car had been stolen from the lot of AutosPremier Finance.
A month later, he met again with Ravelo, who returned $5,000 in cash and told him that “he had sold the car”.
Leva made a formal complaint to the police and, in a photo identification lineup, identified Ravelo as the person responsible for the fraud, said the investigators of the case.
The police report states that Ravelo conducted the transaction within the offices of AutosPremier Finance, but it does not specify whether the company was aware of or authorized such an operation.
On October 6, officials from the MDSO arrested the Cuban at a residence located on SW 17th Street in Miami and transferred him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK).
Ravelo appeared in court this Tuesday, where he was charged with grand theft auto and third-degree robbery.
The judge Mindy Glazer reduced the bail to $2,500, noting that the defendant had returned part of the money, and ordered him to stay away from the victim.
In the hearing, it was revealed that the Cuban was on probation for a previous case, prompting a probation hold, as reported by Telemundo 51.
In 2023, Ravelo was arrested and charged with several counts of grand theft related to the buying and selling of vehicles. As reported at the time by the television channel, the Cuban organized a scheme to defraud, through which he stole over $110,000 from clients through alleged car sales. The man had worked as the financial manager of the dealership AutoNation Honda Miami Lakes, in the city of Hialeah, between 2021 and 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Carlos Ravelo case and the robbery in Miami
Who is Carlos Ravelo and what is he accused of?
Carlos Ravelo, a 53-year-old Cuban, was arrested in Miami for grand theft auto and third-degree theft. He is accused of taking a car and thousands of dollars that a client entrusted to him for sending the vehicle to Cuba. Ravelo had previously been on probation for an earlier case of grand theft related to the buying and selling of vehicles.
How did Carlos Ravelo's scheme operate to defraud his clients?
Carlos Ravelo met with his clients to manage vehicle shipments to Cuba, signing contracts and receiving large sums of cash. In this case, he took possession of a vehicle and $8,000 that were given to him by a client for the car shipment. Later, he returned $5,000 to the client, claiming that he had sold the car, which led to a formal complaint and his subsequent arrest.
What legal measures have been taken against Carlos Ravelo?
Carlos Ravelo was arrested and appeared in court, where he was charged with grand theft auto and third-degree robbery. Judge Mindy Glazer reduced his bail to $2,500 because he had returned part of the money. Additionally, he was ordered to stay away from the victim, and a probation hold was issued due to his parole from a previous grand theft case.
What background does Carlos Ravelo have in similar offenses?
In 2023, Carlos Ravelo was arrested on charges of grand theft related to the buying and selling of vehicles. He organized a scheme that defrauded customers out of over $110,000 through alleged car sales. Ravelo had worked as a financial manager at a dealership in Hialeah between 2021 and 2022, which enabled him to carry out these illegal activities.
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