Related videos:
A Cuban citizen, an employee at a hospital in the city of Hialeah, was arrested this Wednesday, accused of having used a corporate credit card for personal purchases totaling approximately $24,000 over several years.
Officials from the Hialeah Police arrested José Miguel Penenori, 39 years old, outside the Larkin Community Hospital, where he worked as an air conditioning repair technician.
The accused faces three serious charges: organized fraud for more than $20,000 —a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison in Florida—; grand theft in the second degree and fraudulent use of a credit card for more than $100, according to the arrest report.
The investigation began on May 1, when the hospital's vice president of support services contacted the police after noticing an alleged misappropriation of funds by Penenori, related to a commercial credit card from Home Depot issued by the hospital.
The authorities reviewed the credit card statements, receipts, invoices, and other documents, as well as surveillance videos, and determined that, for several years, Penenori used the credit card to purchase personal items, which he mixed with legitimate merchandise purchases for the hospital.
Among the items he purchased for himself were household goods, gift cards, and a barbecue grill.
Authorities concluded that Penenori "participated in a continuous pattern of unauthorized purchases using company funds for personal gain," with illegal transactions totaling approximately $24,000. The Cuban was one of three hospital employees with access to the commercial credit card, according to the police report.
After being arrested, Penenori provided a full confession to the investigators.
Until the morning of this Thursday, he remained detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bail pending establishment. Larkin Hospital issued a restraining order to prevent him from returning to the property once released, reported Local 10 News.
The case of Penenori adds to other recent arrests of Cubans in Miami-Dade on fraud charges, according to county authorities.
Filed under: