MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities arrested a 46-year-old man accused of impersonating a property owner and stealing nearly $300,000 through a fraudulent real estate transaction in Southwest Ranches.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Learsis Flores used a fake driver’s license to pose as the owner of a vacant lot during a property closing on June 10, 2024. Deputies with the organized crimes bureau detailed the alleged scheme in an arrest report released Monday.
Investigators said Flores presented the fraudulent identification at Land View Title Service in Miami-Dade County, where he secured a $325,000 mortgage from a private lender. He then instructed the title company to wire $294,151 from the loan proceeds.
Authorities reported the money was deposited into a Chase Bank account bearing the name of a corporation registered to the actual property owner. Deputies said Flores controlled the account and moved the stolen funds using bank transfers, Zelle payments, and cash withdrawals.
The private lender later filed a fraud claim with First American Title Insurance Company, which underwrites Land View Title Service.
Deputies located Flores at his apartment in southwestern Miami-Dade County, where he was detained for questioning and subsequently arrested.
Jail records show Flores, also known as Learsis Flores Martinez, was booked Monday night into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He remained in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.
Flores faces four felony charges: first-degree grand theft, organized fraud, mortgage fraud, and possession of a fictitious driver’s license. His bond was set at $260,000.
