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Florida Scoop · Aug 27, 2026

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$5.8 Million Stolen From Five Miami-Dade Condo Associations, Six Arrested Six people are facing fraud charges after investigators say more than $5.8 million was taken from five condo associations across Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said Thursday the two-year investigation found property managers wired association money to personal accounts. Authorities identified 60-year-old Juan Awais as the alleged mastermind. Investigators say he used property management companies to gain the trust of board members, many of them elderly and Spanish-speaking. The associations named by the sheriff’s office are Mira Villa, Los Suenos, Samari Lake East, Lago Grande, and Country Lake Manors. Officials said the group used real contracts and invoices for work that was already paid for, or never done at all. In one case, a suspect allegedly kept hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Hurricane Irma insurance payment meant for building repairs. Also charged are Michael Irizarry, Delma Alonso, Johana Barrios Perez-Tapia, Juliet Ramos, and Cynthea Louise Waltz. The charges include grand theft, organized fraud, money laundering, and racketeering. Sheriff Cordero-Stutz said the $5.8 million figure could still go higher. *Florida Scoop’s Take:* Condo boards should be watching every invoice right now. If your association’s books feel off, this is why people are asking questions.

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