Current, former members of Hammocks HOA accused in $2 million theft, fraud
MIAMI - Several current and former members of the Hammocks Community Association Board accused of stealing at least $1 million from the association have been arrested.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said there were millions of dollars in "questionable expenses" and more arrests were possible during this ongoing investigation.
The Hammocks HOA oversees 40 communities and over 6,500 units in West Kendall.
Click here to view the arrest warrant
The charges stem from a long-running probe that last year that led to the arrest of then HCA president Marglli Gallego. She's accused of diverting $100,000 for her personal use.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "Racketeering and money laundering are usually terms associated with drug cartels and drug transactions and organized crime. Never would anyone have connected these terms with the daily operations of a south Florida HOA. It is alleged that these individuals taken into custody today transformed the association into a criminal enterprise intended to benefit certain board members and their relatives and relatives' businesses."
She said "These 18,400 residents are the true victims of the alleged thefts that were uncovered in our ongoing investigation. They diverted the money of hard-working families and retirees and their neighbors into the pockets of Ms. Gallego and her husband."
Investigators said Gallego that when she was the association's treasurer from 2015 to 2017, she redirected HCA funds totaling $49,826 to a private investigations firm, KP Assurance, for surveillance work on a home Gallego owns with her husband outside of the Hammocks community.
She's accused of HCA resources to go after enemies, harass rival association members, and sue people she felt were "targeting her unjustly," according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
Gallego also reportedly made numerous personal charges on the association's credit card without the required authorization of the HCA. Investigators say that from November 2016 to March 2018, Gallego spent a total of $59,716.51 for her personal use.
Gallego is now facing additional charges. Prosecutors are also charging her husband, Antonio Gonzalez, according to the Miami Herald, who is accused of running two companies that reaped at least $1.26 million in HCA funds.
Also charged are the current president Monica Isabel Ghilardi, board member Myriam Arango Rodgers, and Yoleidis Lopez Garcia who served on the board between 2016 and 2022, according to the Miami Herald.
The State Attorney said some homeowners saw their HOA fees go up 400 percent. Shannon Baratz said the feeds for her one-bedroom condo had doubled.
"I am paying nearly $500 n HOA fees. I am paying almost $500 if you can believe that," she said. "This is ridiculous. I have had one hell of a year and this has really set me back. I am glad arrests have been made. Progress is being made."