DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A Palmetto Bay man was arrested after being accused of exploiting the elderly.
Sixty-one-year-old Omar Ramiro Lopez was taken into custody on Wednesday. He was charged with exploitation of the elderly and organized scheme to defraud.
According to Miami-Dade Police, Lopez promised to take care of elderly patients, but instead took the large deposits and vanished. He is accused of defrauding over $13,000 from the victims for those services that he failed to provide.
“This gentleman is going around doing contracts for some type of fence job,” said MDPD Detective Geordi Estepan. “He does not do any part of the job nor does he return any of the money back for not doing the job. And then, when the victims reached out to him, he doesn’t answer any phone calls or messages back.”
One of the victims said he hired Lopez in May 2023 to build a fence and gave him more than $6,000, but the work never began.
“I was going to have the fence run all the way from here, 10 across into the other yard,” said 72-year-old Brian Domineck. “He came in and did the measurements, and he was so nice.”
Domineck said the fence never became a reality, as the suspect took off with his money.
“I don’t know. It just makes me mad that we as elderly, soon as we get to a point where we can save up enough money to do something that makes ourselves feel better, this guy comes and snatches from us,” said Domineck.
As the months passed following the payment, Domineck said, he began to worry since no progress was being made.
“Now I don’t get no answers from him. He doesn’t answer his cellphone. His office phone just rings, no answer machine. Even his website, you can’t get on his website or anything, and I said, ‘This guy just left,'” he said.
Domineck filed a report with Miami-Dade Police. Detectives discovered a pattern of customer complaints about the same man.
Police have identified three victims so far, but they believe there could be more victims out there.
“It’s very important to get the story out because, during his interview, he confessed that he had possibly done this to about nine more people,” said Estepan.
Domineck was shocked to hear how many others like him were scammed by the man.
“You said nine more people? Oh, no! I really feel for them, too,” he said.
Domineck said that his fence project remains on hold, and even though he probably won’t get his money back, at least someone is paying for the crime.
“I hope they do something to him. I don’t want anything real bad done, but hey, he really took from us, and we can’t afford it,” he said.
If you think that includes you or someone you know, you are urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.