Several people are out of thousands of dollars and a car after police say they were ripped off by a northwest Miami-Dade dealership employee.
Carlos Ravelo, the former finance manager, is accused of promising customers a deal, but they could only pay in cash and couldn't get the car until a later date.
Olga Tellez said back in December, she and her husband went to AutoNation Honda Miami Lakes on Northwest 167th Street to buy a car. She said Ravelo made them the offer, a 2019 Honda CRV for about $12,000, but they had to pay in cash. Tellez and her husband withdrew the money from the bank and made the deal.
"He let us ride in the car, he gave me the VIN, the receipt, making it seem like everything was legit,” Tellez said.
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Tellez said Ravelo told them they could pick up the car the next day. She went to the dealership day after day.
"I'll come tomorrow for my money because if you don't give it to me tomorrow, I will call the manager, so he begged me not to,” Tellez said.
She said when she went back again, he didn't show up.
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Police said Ravelo pulled the same scam with at least six other people, promising them a special cash-only deal and they would get the car on a later date.
The arrest report said one customer paid $50,000 in cash. In at least two sales, Ravelo allegedly gave the customer a personal check while they waited for their car, and when they went to cash it, it came back with an insufficient funds message.
Tellez said she knows another customer who was scammed.
"Nobody wants to go through that but every action has a reaction,” Tellez said. “You enter an institution like this trusting them to be legit."
Tellez has only one request.
"I don't want any more money, I want the money that was stolen from me,” Tellez said.
Ravelo faces numerous charges of grand theft. During a court hearing, the judge mentioned that Ravelo admitted to having a gambling problem and spent all the money, and that some of the victims only did business with him because they knew his mom and considered him a family friend.
The judge ordered a $45,000 bond but Ravelo must prove that the money he's using to post bond is coming from legitimate sources.
An AutoNation spokesperson said in a statement to NBC6 that the company is working with local authorities and will continue to assist them in this matter.
Authorities believe there could still be more people who were victims of fraud. If you were affected, you can report it by calling anonymously the Crime Line at 305-471-8477.
Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the dealership's location — it is in northwest Miami-Dade, not Miami Lakes.
