MIAMI SHORES, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami Shores man is facing a growing list of fraud charges after, investigators said, he orchestrated an online boat-sales scheme that took tens of thousands of dollars from customers nationwide and never delivered a single vessel.
According to multiple arrest reports, 43-year-old Ricardo Ulrich Deuker — who also used the names Ric Ruthenberg and Ricardo Ulrich Deuker Ruthenberg — is accused of defrauding at least six victims through his Opa-locka business, UP Boats LLC.
Police said more victims have come forward in recent weeks, revealing what detectives describe as an ongoing pattern of deception, false promises and financial loss.
The complaints span from 2024 through late 2025 and detail similar accounts: Customers found UP Boats online, communicated directly with Deuker, paid in full for custom tenders or carbon-fiber dinghies, and then faced months of delays, unanswered emails and blocked calls.
Investigators said that in each case, the boats were never delivered, no refunds were issued, and the company had no valid business license.
According to an arrest report, one victim reported wiring $9,572.20 in March 2025 for a boat he never received and said Deuker stopped responding immediately after the payment.
Authorities said another buyer paid more than $12,000 for a vessel and shipping in June 2025, only to be met with silence following repeated requests for updates.
Another victim reported sending $13,750 in 2024 and later discovering that the shipping company link Deuker provided was linked to a website created that same day, police said.
Investigators said a fourth victim from the Virgin Islands paid $14,694 after seeing UP Boats on YouTube and received only a message about “technical and financial hurdles” before Deuker cut off all communication.
A fifth victim mailed a $12,471.30 check after being promised a September 2025 delivery date, then received no updates despite dozens of calls and emails, investigators said.
Most recently, investigators said, a buyer who paid $33,638 for a high-end tender claimed he twice flew to Florida to check on the boat, but found the facility closed and no evidence his vessel existed.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Deuker’s Miami Shores residence, where they said evidence showed he was “maintaining a lavish lifestyle” and preparing for a family trip to Cancún while retaining victims’ funds with no apparent intent to produce or ship any boats.
Deuker has been charged in multiple felony cases, including organized fraud, grand theft and conspiracy.
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