MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Miami-Dade couple was arrested Tuesday in connection with a fraud scheme that investigators say cost victims more than $200,000 over nearly three years.
Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects as Maria Blasco Diaz, 64, and her husband, Antonio Diaz, 65.
According to an arrest report, the investigation began after longtime friends accused the couple of offering deeply discounted luxury watches, jewelry and cruise travel packages that were never delivered on July, 24, 2023.
Authorities said the scheme dates back to 2022, when Maria Blasco Diaz allegedly offered a 50% “friends and family” discount on Rolex watches through her husband, who worked at a jewelry store.
The report states that the victims and their relatives paid deposits for multiple watches, totaling nearly $139,000.
Investigators said Maria Blasco Diaz provided repeated excuses for delays, including claims the items were sent to the wrong store or held in “quality control.”
They said additional money was also collected for jewelry purchases and discounted cruise travel, including a trip scheduled for July 2023 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas.
In total, deputies said the victims paid more than $44,000 for travel-related expenses that were never secured.
As the departure date approached, they said Maria Blasco Diaz failed to provide travel documents and later claimed the bookings fell through because a contact at the cruise line had been “fired.”
She issued partial repayment checks that later bounced due to “insufficient funds,” according to the report, which stated Maria Blasco Diaz had written the checks from a newly opened account that bank officials confirmed was opened “with a minimal deposit” and that she “had not deposited any additional funds.”
The report states that the couple ultimately collected $200,259.85 and never provided the promised goods or services, nor refunded the money.
Detectives said Maria Blasco Diaz confessed to the crimes in an interview and claimed that her husband was not involved. Despite her confession, Antonio Diaz was also arrested.
Jail records show both suspects are facing charges including organized fraud of $50,000 or more, first-degree grand theft of over $100,000, uttering forged instruments, writing or issuing a worthless check of $150 or more, and theft from an elderly victim of more than $10,000 but less than $50,000.
The couple appeared in bond court Wednesday, where a judge set their bond at $35,000 each.
They were also ordered to have no contact with any of the victims and were given a Nebbia hold, which requires a defendant or defendants to prove the money or collateral used to pay a bail bond comes from a legitimate, legal source.
Anyone who believes they may have been scammed by the couple is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
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