A couple that ran a private vehicle "booting" company and defrauded the City of Miami of hundreds of thousands of dollars plead guilty to multiple charges Monday as part of a plea deal.
Andrew Wesley Bleacher and his wife Gabriela Caltagirone owned and ran Premiere Booting Services in Broward County and were taken into custody back in March 2018.
As part of a plea deal, Bleacher and Caltagirone both plead guilty to one count of organized fraud/scheme to defraud in the amount of $50,000 or more in exchange for five years of supervised probation.
Prosecutors said the couple underreported the number of cars they "booted" for improper parking. They charged drivers $89 to get the boot off and then often pocketed the $25 portion that was required to go to the city.
Over the course of four years, investigators found that $700,000 should have gone to the city. The couple used the money to buy a boat and renovate their home.
A judge ordered house arrest for the couple and for them to pay back the money they stole, much of which was paid in court Monday.
