MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A 56-year-old mechanic was arrested after police said a customer spent years trying to recover a $40,000 boat he had turned over for repairs before the vessel ultimately disappeared.
Carlos Armas was taken into custody at his Miami Gardens home Monday night and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to an arrest report.
The investigation dates back to 2023, when the boat’s owner arranged to have work performed on his 1983 Sea Ray.
According to police, Armas took possession of the vessel in April 2023 and transported it from a marina in Hollywood to his shop.
The owner paid Armas $4,000 for a replacement MerCruiser 454 engine and later another $1,000 toward labor.
The owner repeatedly contacted Armas over the following months asking when the boat would be finished.
According to the report, Armas provided several updates, including telling the owner in June 2023 that he was “finishing up the work.”
In July, police said Armas told him he was turning on the boat’s motors and checking its electrical levels.
But when the owner went to Armas’ new shop in August 2023, investigators said he found the vessel near the back of the property with its engine compartment open and one engine exposed to the elements.
The replacement engine he had purchased was missing, according to the report.
Police said the owner continued trying to get his boat back for months. By February 2024, he was demanding its return, but Armas allegedly continued delaying him. The owner eventually reported the vessel stolen in May 2024.
Detectives interviewed Armas in July 2026. According to the report, he denied any criminal involvement and “stated that he does not know where the vessel is.”
He told investigators he had been evicted from the property where the boat had been stored and said he did not take the vessel with him.
Investigators said a search of Armas’ cellphone revealed messages between him and the property’s landlord concerning boats that remained at the yard during the eviction process.
Police said the landlord later told detectives there were no vessels left behind when Armas finally left the property in September 2025.
According to investigators, Armas never contacted the owner to tell him to retrieve his boat as the eviction unfolded. Police said the missing replacement engine, unfinished work and conflicting information led detectives to conclude Armas intended to defraud the owner.
Armas faces charges of second-degree grand theft and organized scheme to defraud.
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