SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida couple is facing serious charges following their alleged involvement in a scheme that defrauded victims of over $200,000.
Maria and Antonio Diaz are facing multiple charges, including organized fraud, theft from the elderly, uttering forged instruments and grand theft.
According to an arrest affidavit, the couple promised fake discounts on luxury watches and non-existent travel packages.
The fraudulent schemes allegedly involved Maria convincing victims that her husband could secure discounts on Rolex watches through his employment at Jared.
The arrest report states Maria took more than $10,000 for watches that were never delivered. In additionally, she is accused of taking almost $4,500 for discounted cruises and travel that never materialized.
The arrest report states Maria attempted to repay the victims with checks drawn from bank accounts with insufficient funds. She also has a prior federal conviction for identity theft from 2012.
Maria Rodriguez, identified as a victim in the case, testified that Maria had been scamming people for an extended period.
“Maria Diaz has been scamming people for a long time,” Rodriguez said, describing the situation as very sad for her family, including her parents.
The arrest report states that the defendants exploited relationships of trust to perpetrate the fraud. Rodriguez said the victims — including her nephew who was saving money for his wedding and a house — were scammed through friendship rather than by strangers.
“She was somebody that we trusted wholly,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez’s parents, Jose and Maria Mejias, who are 81 and 79, respectively, lost between $10,000 and $50,000 through the watch and cruise schemes.
Rodriguez recounted how 20 family members had their bags packed for a graduation trip that was canceled two days before departure due to the fraudulent cruise booking. She said the victims received “actual papers with reservation numbers” that turned out to be based on a fraudulent number.
Rodriguez also described confronting Antonio at Jared regarding the unfulfilled promises and the impact on the younger victims.
“I went to Jared and asked him, ‘How do you feel? Like do you sleep at night knowing you did this to so many people?’ Especially to the younger kids that, you know, have saved working hard,” she said. “And he said, ‘I don’t have a problem, I sleep perfectly at night, I don’t have a problem. I haven’t done anything to anybody.'”
Both Maria and Antonio have been issued $35,000 bonds, each subject to a Nebbia requirement where they must demonstrate that the funds used to post bail are from legitimate sources. They were also ordered to have no contact with the named victims, and they must remain at least 500 feet away from them, their residences, schools and workplaces.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.