A 26-year-old Cuban resident of Miami-Dade was arrested this Friday after incriminating himself in a series of live broadcasts where he openly rapped about his methods for committing bank fraud.
Lázaro Lesteiro-Díaz, artistically known as "Yunglazz Drakula," was arrested after the Miami Police, the Miami-Dade Sheriff, and the FBI tracked his posts and raided his home, where they also found drugs, a weapon, and animals linked to santería practices.
What makes this case unique is the detail noted in the police arrest report: Lesteiro-Díaz's occupation is formally listed as "rapper-fraudster."
According to Local 10, it all started on June 17, when the young man streamed live holding a laptop with money on top and wearing a headset with a microphone—typical equipment used in fraudulent call centers—while rapping in Spanish: "I called you from a Bank of America number. Ima boof a plot."
A detective from the Miami Police Department explained in the arrest report the meaning of that letter: "I'm going to take your money... I'm going to access your bank account and you're going to give me your code, all over the phone, and I'm not even going to touch you."
On July 6, he went live again, this time showing a weapon, large amounts of cash, and a laptop, and then turned the camera to display personal information of multiple victims while describing his organized fraud schemes and the impersonation of bank phone numbers.
On Tuesday of this week, he posted another video from a bathroom, showing debit, credit, and gift cards, while concealing a weapon with an extended magazine and having a bundle of cash on the sink.
One day after a judge signed the search warrant, authorities stormed into her home on block 11,200 of Southwest 43rd Lane, in the Westwood Lakes area.
Inside, they found a firearm, magazines, a diamond chain inscribed with "Drakula," a diamond watch, baby bottles containing alleged "purple drank" - promethazine syrup with codeine used illegally as a drug - cash, and a call center headset.
But the most disturbing finding was at the back of the property: two dead chickens with their heads cut off and a room described as "filled with objects related to Cuban santería and voodoo."
Along with the Santería materials, authorities found a live goat inside a box with its neck painted orange, a sign marking the spot where the animal would be sacrificed. The police managed to contact a rescue organization to take care of the animal.
FBI agents also located a video of Lesteiro-Díaz himself holding the two dead chickens, hanging by their legs, consistent with the animals found on the property.
During the interrogation, the defendant admitted that all the items belonged to him, claimed that he bought the promethazine syrup to "cure his illness," and acknowledged that he "previously attempted to commit fraud." He then invoked his right to remain silent.
The charges he faces include possession of drugs while armed, organized fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill.
This is not the first time Lesteiro-Díaz has had issues with the law.
In January 2020, when he was 19 years old and living in Hialeah, he was arrested for death threats posted on X against Nicaraguans, Colombians, African Americans, and homosexuals.
On that social network, he wrote: "My brain feels like that of a psychopathic serial killer. I feel no pity or emotion when hurting someone... humans are like mosquitoes to me." That year, he received a suspended verdict and his parole was terminated in 2022.
In his most recent case, Lesteiro-Díaz remains detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond of $30,000; however, before he can pay it, he must prove that the funds come from a legitimate source.
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