Emilio I. Vazquez, Wire Fraud, Florida 2017

CORAL GABLES, FL – A South Florida man has admitted to defrauding businesses out of over $686,000 in funds earmarked for hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, federal authorities announced yesterday. Emilio I. Vazquez, 47, of Coral Gables, Florida, pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of twenty years behind bars.

The scheme unfolded in the chaotic aftermath of the devastating hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico in September 2017. Vazquez approached volunteer groups, falsely claiming ties to the prominent Serralles family, owners of the Don Q rum distillery. He spun a tale of vast resources, promising to rent warehouses and charter air and ground transport to deliver vital supplies to the island. It was all a lie.

Vazquez, operating under the false name “Emilio Serralles,” targeted Commercial Property Group in Doral, Florida, attempting to lease warehouse space for the nonexistent relief supplies. He presented a counterfeit UBS bank cashier’s check for $122,050.50 as payment, securing a lease for five warehouse spaces. The check, of course, never cleared. The fraud didn’t stop there.

Around the same time, Vazquez contacted Miami Air International, a local charter airline, again posing as “Emilio Serralles” and claiming ownership of a “Puerto Rico Relief Committee.” He chartered multiple flights from Miami to Puerto Rico, promising delivery of aid. To pay for these flights, he offered another fraudulent instrument: a counterfeit American Express Centurion Bank cashier’s check for a staggering $564,036.05.

“This defendant exploited a horrific natural disaster for personal gain,” stated Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Secret Service, led by Special Agent in Charge Brian Swain, spearheaded the investigation, uncovering the layers of deceit. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein is prosecuting the case.

Vazquez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. before United States District Court Judge Robert N. Scola. Court documents related to the case are available on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida website at www.flsd.uscourts.gov and through PACER at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. This case serves as a grim reminder that even in times of crisis, predators will seek to profit from suffering.

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