Authorities Searching for ‘Heavyset' Man in Fraud Case

Authorities are searching for a "heavyset" man that is a person of interest in a series of fraud cases throughout South Florida

Multiple police agencies are looking for a heavyweight burglar who also created counterfeit checks from one of his victims.

“It’s quite shocking, especially to realize that somebody would do something like this, and be so creative, and not care about the consequences,” said victim Marc Randazzo.

Marc and Yesenia Randazzo were victimized by the portly thief who may weigh up to 400 pounds, according to police. The thief created the counterfeit checks and then took the money down the street to Global Liquors store and “bought” $5,000 worth of Dom Perignon champagne.

“It’s just ingenious the way they’d take a payroll check, blank it out, write another check, cash a check. It’s just amazing how creative they get in fraud,” Marc Randazzo said.

“They took around 30 bottles, so it was a couple of cases,” said Monica de Abreu. “They packed the whole back of the car and everything. A couple of days later, the bank told us that it was a fraud.”

In a separate robbery in North Miami, the thieves broke in through the roof of Grill Time, apparently to get into the frame shop next door. The thieves went through the wall, stole merchandise, and the shop’s identity to make more counterfeit checks.

Police hope the picture of the man, who police call a person of interest, will help someone recognize him.

“With that sort of description, you would think that someone would recognize a person like that,” said Lt. Neil Cuevas of North Miami Police.

For Randazzo, a former boxer, he’d gladly move up to the heavyweight division to get a good shot at the criminal.

“We only hope that they catch him before we do,” Randazzo said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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