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A 50-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday in Miami-Dade and accused of running an illegal postoperative recovery house, where patients paid $300 per night for services.
The detainee was identified as Yordanka Garcia-Olazabal, 50 years old.
According to a report from NBC Miami, the investigation began after an anonymous tip alerted authorities about the provision of post-surgical services in a private residence located on the 12700 block of Southwest 42nd Terrace, in Miami-Dade.
While executing a search warrant, the agents found two employees who were assisting patients with bathing, dressing, feeding, toilet use, personal hygiene, medication, and transportation, according to the arrest report.
They also found 11 hospitalized patients who reported that they were paying for those services.
Garcia-Olazabal was arrested and taken to prison on the charge of operating an unlicensed assisted living facility, according to court records.
Under Florida law, any establishment that provides personal care 24 hours a day to more than two unrelated residents must have a Assisted Living Facility license issued by the Agency for Health Care Administration of Florida.
Operating without that license constitutes a serious third-degree offense, and each day of continuous operation may be considered a separate charge, with additional administrative fines of up to $5,000 per day in cases of imminent danger.
The case adds to a series of similar arrests that Miami-Dade authorities have made in recent months against operators of illegal post-operative recovery homes.
Last March, a 42-year-old Hispanic woman was arrested for operating an illegal house in Hialeah where she charged between $250 and $300 per night for services similar to those offered by Garcia-Olazabal.
Previously, the Cuban couple Marileydis Gómez and Lázaro González Bordao were arrested also on charges related to the illegal operation of a postoperative recovery house.
One of the most tragic cases linked to this type of establishment was that of Ahmonique Miller, a 28-year-old mother from Las Vegas, who lost her life under circumstances related to the care received in one of these facilities.
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