MIAMI — A man and woman wrapped up their four-day Carnival cruise in handcuffs after authorities said they paid for it using gift cards acquired as part of an extensive fraud scheme targeting Winn-Dixie stores in Miami-Dade and Collier counties.
Rogerio da Cunha Fernandes, 45, and Aida Parada la Paz, 43, were taken into custody at PortMiami on Monday morning. Deputies said they arrested a third suspect, Beatriz Paz-Roca, 66, a few hours later outside of a Winn-Dixie in Doral after she committed fraud there.
All three live together at a home just outside of Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood in unincorporated Miami-Dade, though their arrest reports don’t say if or how they are related.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said da Cunha Fernandes and Parada la Paz raked in a combined $18,000 from the scheme, while Paz-Roca took in about $12,000.
Investigators said the three would purchase gift cards for various retailers using an “altered” Bolivian bank card that would cause Winn-Dixie’s card terminal to time out while processing the payment.
“When this happens, Winn-Dixie’s system is programmed to stand in for these transactions and attempts to resend and collect on the (transaction) amount at a later date,“ the arrest report states.
But after three unsuccessful attempts, Winn-Dixie writes off the transactions and takes a loss.
About 230 fraudulent transactions involved at least one member of the trio, deputies said.
Investigators said they found out through social media posts Thursday that da Cunha Fernandes and Parada la Paz had boarded the Carnival Sunrise for a cruise. Deputies said they booked the cruise on July 26 using fraudulent gift cards they bought at Winn-Dixie the previous day.
When the Sunrise docked at PortMiami on Monday morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents conducted a border search on the two and found the bank card on da Cunha Fernandes, along with “various other fraudulently purchased gifts (sic) cards,” on both him and Parada la Paz.
At the same time, investigators said they staked out Paz-Roca at the trio’s home in the 2900 block of Northwest 26th Street.
They said they followed her to the Winn-Dixie at 10505 NW 41st St. in Doral, where she fraudulently bought a $150 Amazon gift card.
According to the report, detectives stopped her as she was getting back in her vehicle, arresting her just after 12:30 p.m.
All three face counts of grand theft with others and an organized scheme to defraud.
Jail records show da Cunha Fernandes, a Brazilian national, and Parada la Paz, a Bolivian national, were each jailed on a $10,000 bond and an immigration hold.
Paz-Roca, also a Bolivian national, had the same bond but no listed immigration hold.
All three were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
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