Four individuals were arrested in South Florida, accused of fraudulently taking over the home of Thomas Hegarty, a 71-year-old man with dementia residing in Hollywood, and of moving him against his will to a rundown boarding house in Miami Gardens, as reported by Local 10.
The case was presented during a press conference by Marty Kiar, property appraiser for Broward County, along with representatives from the Hollywood Police.
“The person they chose as the victim was extremely vulnerable,” Kiar stated while referring to the circumstances of the case.
The four defendants are:
- Real estate investors Brandon Lee Miguel and Jordy Luis Perez, both 25 years old.
- The real estate agent Monica Elizabeth Castelli, 56 years old, residing in Margate.
- The notary Derek Enrique, 43 years old, resident of Tamarac.
According to the authorities, Miguel and Perez took advantage of Hegarty's cognitive decline to obtain his signature on legal documents that allowed the transfer of ownership of his home.
“He took advantage of the victim's deteriorating mental state to obtain her signature on a power of attorney document and a guarantee deed,” the investigators stated.
According to the investigation, those documents were "falsely notarized" by Enrique and used to transfer ownership to a company called Cash4Keys South Florida, controlled by the two investors.
The house, located on the 2200 block of Mayo Street, where Hegarty had lived for more than 25 years, had an approximate value of 300,000 dollars, but it was sold for just 191,000 dollars.
Relocated against his will and abandoned in Miami Gardens
The investigation also indicates that the accused organized the relocation of the elderly man outside of his home to facilitate access to the property.
According to the authorities, Miguel and Perez arranged for Castelli to take Hegarty out of his house and to a poorly maintained boarding house in Miami Gardens, with the aim of leaving the property vacant.
Hegarty was distressed and crying at the scene, so Castelli ended up picking him up and taking him to Hollywood Regional Memorial Hospital.
The staff at the medical center notified the elderly man's sister-in-law about his condition.
Once Hegarty was removed from the residence, the suspects entered the property and, according to investigators, took possession of his belongings.
"It was reported that all of his personal belongings were allegedly taken, which were subsequently reported missing, including three vehicles," stated the Broward County property appraiser's office.
At the time of the arrests, Cash4Keys South Florida still controlled the property, while Hegarty's family had hired a lawyer to try to recover it.
The four defendants face a total of 15 charges
The authorities presented 15 criminal charges jointly against the four defendants, related to the alleged real estate fraud, the exploitation of an elderly person, and the transportation of the victim.
Miguel and Perez face six charges each: organized fraud exceeding $50,000; grand theft over $100,000; illegal presentation of false documents regarding real estate; mortgage fraud; exploitation of an elderly person; and money laundering.
Castelli faces two charges: kidnapping to facilitate the commission of a crime and exploitation of an elderly person.
Derek Enrique, for his part, was accused of making false or fraudulent notarized recognitions.
The case takes place in a context of concern over financial crimes against the elderly in the United States.
According to the annual report from the FBI on Internet crimes for 2025, reports of fraud from individuals over 60 years old increased by 37%, while economic losses grew by 59%, reaching approximately $7.748 billion in the United States.
In Florida, victims in that age group reported losses of approximately 709.8 million dollars.
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