Miami-Dade Dealership Burglary Suspect of Cuban Origin Held on $168,000 Bond
A Homestead resident originally from Cuba faces over 20 felony counts tied to thefts of vehicle electronics from Kendall-area auto lots, with an alleged accomplice still evading capture.
Miami-Dade Dealership Burglary Suspect of Cuban Origin Held on $168,000 Bond
Law enforcement in Miami-Dade, Florida detained a 25-year-old Homestead resident this week who originally hails from Cuba, booking him on upward of 20 felony counts tied to a spree of break-ins at automobile dealerships around Kendall.
Officials identified the apprehended individual as Josmanny Alexis Valdez. Investigators allege he and at least one other person stripped infotainment units from Dodge Ram pickups parked at service lots, inflicting repair bills running into the thousands, then peddled the loot through internet marketplaces.
The county sheriff's department has formally connected Valdez to incidents at two businesses: Kendall Dodge and Rocco's Custom. A co-defendant, Celestino Ayala Jr., also 25, has not yet been located and is considered wanted.
The initial complaint arrived on May 15 from a supervisor at Kendall Dodge. He reported that 18 dashboard entertainment systems had vanished from Ram trucks spanning model years 2019 through 2026. The affected automobiles were customer property left on the premises for servicing.
Per investigative documents, the perpetrators breached a perimeter fence to access the lot. They then extracted the touchscreens and severed the bundled wiring leading to each unit—an act that rendered the trucks damaged beyond mere replacement of the stolen goods.
The missing hardware carried a per-unit price tag of roughly $5,300. Fixing the collateral destruction was projected to cost about $1,100 for every vehicle hit.
Online sleuthing by detectives turned up resale posts on Facebook Marketplace. The seller handles—"Gio Valdez," "Josmanny Valdes," and "Laylowjr Ayala"—displayed matching pictures of the offered merchandise.
Late in May, a covert officer negotiated a $500 purchase for two of the systems. During the sting, watchers observed the sellers pulling the items from a blue Ford truck before heading to Dolphin Mall to finalize the exchange.
A subsequent vehicle search yielded further displays and radio components presumed stolen. Security cameras additionally recorded the accused near the targeted dealership on several dates.
Valdez's charging sheet includes multiple counts of vehicle burglary, grand larceny exceeding $3,000 carried out in concert with others, and criminal damage topping $1,000. He also faces a charge for breaking into an occupied building.
A parallel file layers on duplicate counts for the same trio of offenses. By Tuesday, Valdez was confined at the Turner Guilford Knight jail with bail set at $168,000.
His release is further complicated by a Nebbia requirement, forcing him to demonstrate that any funds posted for bond were earned lawfully. Meanwhile, Ayala has not been found. Tips regarding his location may be directed to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
Source: Periódico Cubano
Source: Google News CU — Crime