A man who authorities said defrauded multiple elderly victims through contracting work that was never performed is facing charges, and police believe there could be more victims.
Omar Ramiro Lopez, 61, was arrested earlier this month on multiple charges including grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, elderly exploitation and contracting without a license, records showed.
According to Miami-Dade Police, Lopez entered into contractual agreements with multiple elderly victims to install outdoor fencing and represented himself as a licensed contractor.
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After receiving payment, he failed to perform the contractual duties and did not refund the victims, police said.
The victims were defrauded out of more than $13,000, police said.
Lopez, of Palmetto Bay, was booked into jail and later released on bond. Attorney information wasn't available.
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NBC6 spoke with one 72-year-old victim who said he lost thousands to Lopez. Brian Domineck said he met Lopez in May 2023 and hired him to put up a new fence in his yard.
"He came and he was real nice. Boy, I mean to tell you he really knew how to prey upon us," Domineck said.
The retired veteran said he paid Lopez around $6,200 as a deposit, but when it was time to start the project, he was a no-show.
"I was keeping in touch with him to let him know what we were gonna do and when I was ready for him to begin. Come September, I called and no Omar," Domineck said. "I went to his email, that stopped. His website kept spinning, wouldn’t come up. His cell phone you couldn’t get a hold of."
Domineck said he's glad Lopez was caught but he'd like his money back.
"It really makes me mad because he’s preying upon us elderly and a lot of us have disabilities we’re dealing with," he said. "We save so much just to see this come true and then he’s gonna snatch it from us like that."
Patricia Mendoza Palmer, 65, said the same thing happened to her. She says she paid Lopez $5,000 in March to build a fence around her home in Miramar. But once he got the money, he vanished.
"Two months went by and he disappeared," she said. "I called him and called him and called him."
Police believe there could be more victims and they're asking anyone with information to call them at 305-994-1000.
