SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Two Colombian singers who were accused of ripping off a friend at his Sunny Isles condominium are saying the allegations are not true. One of them is going on the record to set things straight.
Both men were accused of ripping off a friend in Sunny Isles, but they said they didn’t steal anything.
Farid Duque earned his living by singing and acting in his native country of Colombia. He told 7News that his life was changed after an acquaintance accused Duque of stealing from his Sunny Isles condominium in June. “Lo peor. The worst that has happened to his life,” Duque said through a translator.
Alejandro Abuello accused both Duque and his friend Rafael Pedroza of the theft. In June, Abuello told 7News, “They emptied the refrigerator. They take this closet, and they empty everything. The put something to open [the door]. They took all the glasses.”
Duque and Pedroza were in South Florida working on their singing careers and stayed by Abuello. Shortly after they left, they were seen on video packing, and that’s when the accusations were made.
“Imagine yourself in his position, that your kids, your mother, they’re watching that in the news everywhere,” Duque said through a translator. “After you had an impeccable career. What do you think your kids react?”
Police investigated Duque and Pedroza, who were never charged or arrested. Duque said that the camera caught them packing up their own belongings and that they didn’t take anything that belonged to Abuello.
“What you see on the video is Rafael and Farid leaving with garbage bags full of their stuff,” said attorney Marla Ferguson.
7News spoke with Sunny Isles Police. They said they referred the case to the State Attorney’s Office and the decision was made that there wasn’t enough evidence to go forward.
“The big deal is you have two professional singers, actors, TV personalities who make their living being public figures,” Ferguson said, “and this has completely tarnished that.”
Now Duque and Pedroza are trying to set the record straight and move on with their lives and careers.
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