MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami-Dade deputies say a man of God was a man of fraud.
They’re accusing a 46-year-old Pentecostal pastor of teaming up with a man posing as an immigration attorney to enrich themselves by preying on more than a dozen “vulnerable” victims.
Authorities said both men are now facing felony charges after hatching a scheme to “deceive and manipulate victims seeking legitimate aid during a challenging time.”
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the pastor in question was Nelson David Ochoa Vasquez, of La Iglesia de Dios Jireh, a church at 4900 SW 118th Ave. affiliated with the evangelical Church of God denomination.
Deputies said the fake lawyer is Ismer Gonzalez, 44, of Miramar.
Both men, immigrants themselves, were taken into custody on Thursday as part of a case called “Operation Stolen Dream.”
Authorities said Ochoa, a native of Guatemala, used his church to introduce at least 16 victims to Gonzalez, a native of Cuba. The victims were immigrants seeking things like driver’s licenses and work permits.
“Right now, we are up to 16 victims and we expect this is going to increase,” prosecutors said Friday.
Arrest reports state the victims either made direct cash payments to Ochoa or Zelle payments to an account called “Brothers Multiservicio LLC.”
The victims spent $21,000 and got nothing in return, deputies said.
Authorities said some Brothers Multiservicio payments ended up in a bank account controlled by Gonzalez and the money went to lavish personal expenses, “including high-end purchases from Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta and Fendi, as well as travel to South America and Europe.”
Additionally, multiple checks from Brothers Multiservicio went to a bank account controlled by Ochoa, deputies said.
Authorities said they arrested Ochoa at his southwest Miami-Dade home in the 12000 block of Southwest 40th Street and took Gonzalez into custody following a traffic stop on Florida’s Turnpike at Northwest 23rd Avenue.
Deputies said Ochoa claimed he was “actively working” for Gonzalez, “completing work permit forms for clients and receiving cash payments,” but made statements containing “multiple irregularities.”
Gonzalez’s arrest report states he invoked his right to an attorney.
Jail records show Ochoa, facing charges of grand theft and organized fraud, was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $15,000 bond as of Friday morning.
Gonzalez, facing the same charges along with a count of practicing law without a license, was being held at TGK on a $62,500 bond.
Prosecutors said he’s suspected of similar crimes in North Carolina and is facing warrants out of the Tar Heel State.
If either man comes up with bond money, he’ll have to prove that the funds came from a legitimate source before leaving jail.
Meanwhile, deputies are asking for any additional victims to come forward by calling MDSO.
They said anonymous tipsters can additionally reach out to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
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