Eighth arrest made in Hammocks HOA fraud probe, prosecutors say
MIAMI - The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office has announced the eighth arrest in the years long fraud investigation at The Hammocks.
Jesus Cue, 63, who acted as the controller/accountant for The Hammocks Homeowners Association is facing eight charges including unlawful compensation, racketeering, money laundering and organized scheme to defraud.
According to the State Attorney's Office, from October 31, 2018 to November 4, 2022 Cue and his company, Worldwide Business Solution Corporation served as a business and accounting consultant to the Hammocks HOA board. During this 47-month period, Cue reportedly received $644,000.00 in vendor payments, an average of $161,000.00 a year.
During the same period, Cue testified in a bankruptcy court proceeding that the Hammocks HOA had no reserve funds and needed to take a $375,000 short-term loan in order to maintain normal operating functions.
The Hammocks, a community in West Kendall, has over 18,000 residents, and prosecutors claimed corrupt homeowners association board members have been profiting off the residents while neglecting upkeep.
Six others were arrested between 2022 and 2023. Two of them, former treasurer Myriam Rodgers and former HOA vice president Monica Ghilardi, pleaded guilty to taking part in the scheme and are cooperating with prosecutors.
A seventh arrest was made in Oct. 2004. Ivan Diez is accused of billing $172,000 worth of work that was allegedly never done.
Don Kearns, The President of the Hammocks Homeowners Association, said following the latest arrest, "This is absolute elation, if you look at what's been happening to the residents and the atrocities committed that involved thousands of people living here. I applaud the State Attorney's office and I applaud the investigators.
Kearns has been part of the community for 30 years.
"Anyone who has lived in the Hammocks was victimized by this scheme to defraud. This was an organized racket and so everyone had their money stolen. The news media has been saying the total was around $6 million but we believe the total was closer to $12 million or $13 million," he said.
Idalmen Ardisson, the Vice President of the Hammocks Homeowners Association, said she has been living in the community for 32 years. Following the arrest, she said, "This is a confirmation of everything we thought about what was going through a rabbit hole and how deeply this corruption was involved. It was a matter of standing up your community and the message is don't mess with the Hammocks. In the beginning, this may pay off for people but in the end you will get caught."
According to the state attorney's office, several board members had relatives who owned fictional companies whose alleged purpose was to funnel monies from the HOA to friends and relatives under the guise of vendor payments.
Three of those companies, Albri Consulting, LLC, Aya Service and Repair Corp., and Kaissen Technology, LLC., reportedly had Cue's company, Worldwide Business Solution Corp., as their registered agent and received almost $500,000 in vender payments from the HOA.
Dante Chauca, the husband of former HOA board member Ghilardi, told investigators that Gallego allegedly directed Cue to provide a hidden salary to Ghilardi by creating the alleged fictional vender Albri Consulting, according to the state attorney's office.
Chauca also told investigators that Cue did not have his permission to create Albri Consulting in which he was listed as "Manager" in the official State of Florida filings, according to the state attorney's office which added that Chauca was worried about his personal tax liability.
"Those who feel that an HOA's funds are there for the taking have made a grievous error. Today's arrest should make it blatantly clear," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle in a statement.
The people now in charge of The Hammocks say that millions have been returned because of the criminal probe.