MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami Gardens pastor Eric Readon is once again accused of fraud, this time in a civil lawsuit that recently came to light even though it was filed months ago.
Court records show that in January 2025, 16801 NW, LLC sued Readon, his wife Lakeisha Seay Readon, and their church, New Beginning MBC, Inc., over a lease agreement for a property on Northwest 27th Avenue. The lawsuit claims the Readons never paid rent on a two-year lease worth $10,000 per month.
The lawsuit was filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Jan. 15, 2025.
The complaint says the Readons signed a two-year lease in November 2024 for a space at 16801 NW 27th Ave., and agreed to pay $10,000 a month.
The landlord alleges the defendants failed to pay, that a check they issued was returned for insufficient funds, and that on Nov. 15, 2024, a screenshot of a purported $25,000 Zelle transfer was presented to the landlord but no funds were ever received.
The complaint further alleges defendants began unapproved demolition inside the unit, were evicted in mid-December 2024, and that after eviction, Eric Readon reentered the property and held services in the parking lot under a gospel tent. The complaint also alleges the Readons produced a notice of intent to lien that the lien company says is fraudulent.
The landlord is seeking more than $200,000 in damages.
The civil complaint uses the word “fraud” and brings counts of fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation and trespass against the Readons and New Beginning MBC, Inc. The complaint states in plain terms that a Zelle screenshot and a purported lien were fraudulent and that a check was dishonored. Those allegations are part of the filed complaint and are in the record.
This civil suit adds to an existing pattern of allegations involving Readon. In late April 2025, Readon was arrested in Pembroke Pines after investigators say he acquired a Range Rover from Braman Motors by presenting what appeared to be proof of a wire transfer that later turned out to be fake. Prosecutors argued that the dealership was misled and asked the court to keep him behind bars after that arrest.
Readon also accepted a plea in the Edward Fuller matter. In mid-June 2025 he accepted a plea under which he was to serve 364 days in the Miami-Dade Jail, pay $180,000 in restitution to Fuller, and serve 15 years of probation. He was temporarily released to get his affairs in order before surrendering to begin the agreed jail term. Readon has since filed a motion to withdraw or change that plea.
The Fuller matter refers to a criminal case in which prosecutors said Readon exploited Fuller, 79, by tricking him into signing over the deed to his Miami Gardens home. Fuller told investigators he believed he was getting financial help but later discovered his property had been transferred to Readon’s control. Prosecutors charged Readon with exploitation of an elderly person and organized fraud in connection with the scheme.
Because the newly highlighted civil complaint was filed in January 2025 and was not originally prosecuted as a criminal case, prosecutors may not have been aware of the allegations.
WPLG Local 10 has contacted the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and the matter is now under review to determine whether any of the conduct alleged in the civil complaint would support new criminal charges.
If the conduct alleged in the complaint is proven to be criminal and if it occurred while Readon was free on pretrial release in other matters, prosecutors could argue those actions violated the conditions of his release.
Florida law allows a court to revoke pretrial release if there is probable cause to believe a defendant committed a new crime while out on bond. Prosecutors in Broward previously sought bond revocation after the Range Rover arrest on similar grounds.
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