3 August 27 - september 2, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ IN MEMORIAM A MENTOR WHO WILL BE MISSED JOSÉ SUÁREZ, LONGTIME TELEMUNDO EXECUTIVE, DIES IN KENYA HELICOPTER CRASH. BY NATASHA YEE J osé Alberto Suárez spent decades helping shape Spanish-language television in South Florida, rising from reporter and anchor to one of Telemundo’s top station executives. On Wednesday, August 19, the longtime media executive and president and general manager of Telemundo 51 in Miami, Tele- mundo 49 in Tampa, and Telemundo Fort Myers-Naples, died in a helicopter crash in northern Kenya. He was 55. According to NBC 6, Suárez was one of four Americans killed when the helicopter went down in Samburu County. He was traveling with a group that included Miami entrepreneur Roger Duarte, the founder of George Stone Crab and co-founder of My Ceviche, who also died in the crash, along with two other Americans. The accident occurred near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, roughly 170 miles north of Nairobi. Kenyan authorities say all seven people aboard the Eurocopter EC130 B4 were killed. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Kenyan authorities identified Suarez among the passengers killed in the crash. The other passengers were identified as Roger Duarte, Adam Navaty, Stephany Vásconez, Henry Parra, and Michele Sensi-Contugi. The pilot was identified as Josh Outran. Ke- nya’s Civil Aviation Authority identified the helicopter operator as Lady Lori Kenya. “Our deepest sympathies are with the guests, crew, their families and loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic accident,” the company said, that it planned to fully co- operate with authorities in the investigation of the crash, according to NBC News. Suárez was a familiar figure in Spanish- language broadcasting and had spent more than 25 years in television news. Before lead- ing Telemundo’s South Florida operations, he held leadership positions at stations across the country, including Telemundo 33, Tele- mundo Fresno, Telemundo Las Vegas, Tele- mundo Utah, and Telemundo San Antonio, according to NBC 6. A Florida native, Suárez spent nearly 20 years with Telemundo and NBCUniversal stations, helping oversee the growth of the network’s local markets. Before moving into management, he worked as a reporter and anchor in Florida, Ohio, and Texas. During his career, he earned numerous honors, in- cluding a Lone Star Emmy, a Suncoast Emmy, three Emmys for best daily news program, and multiple Associated Press awards, NBC 6 reported. News of Suárez’s death sent shockwaves through South Florida’s media community, where he was known not only as a station ex- ecutive but also as a mentor to generations of journalists. “Journalist José Alberto Suárez, president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Tele- mundo 49, and Telemundo Ft. Myers-Naples, died Wednesday in a helicopter crash in Ke- nya,” NBC 6 wrote in announcing his death. The station described him as a “visionary leader committed to the expansion and growth of Telemundo’s markets.” NBCUniversal released its own statement about the executive’s sudden death. “José was an exceptional colleague and mentor to many. He cared deeply about his teams, the communities they served and the es- sential role our stations play in people’s lives,” the statement reads, according to NBC News. “He brought energy, humor, warmth and a strong sense of purpose to his work, and his im- pact was felt far beyond the stations he led.” [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Telemundo leader José Alberto Suárez died in a helicopter crash in Kenya on August 19. Photo via x.com/josetv ▼ MIAMI LUSH LIFE THE DOJ SAYS A MIAMI MAN MUST FORFEIT MANSIONS, FERRARIS AFTER A $128M FRAUD SCHEME. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON I t’s a tale as old as time: Miami man and his friends rack up $128M, he spends lavishly on mansions and exotic cars, and then watches it all come crashing down when authorities dis- cover the riches were built on a ruse. Miami Beach resident Daniel Liburdi, 37, con- spired with three other men from across the country to form bogus companies selling fake products to real victims — to the tune of $128 million, according to federal prosecutors with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. For Liburdi’s role, he’ll have to give up about $37.5 million in assets, including a luxury condo in the U.S. Virgin Islands, two Mi- ami Beach mansions, two Ferraris, a Land Rover, $34,000 in fines to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and more than $414,000 in cash, accord- ing to a plea agreement made ahead of a No- vember sentencing hearing. One of four defendants in the conspiracy, Li- burdi pleaded guilty in May to subscribing a false tax return (which carries a max sentence of three years in prison and a $100,000 fine). As part of the plea agreement, he’s also forfeit- ing a condo at a luxury complex in the U.S. Virgin Islands with units from $1.3 million to $12 million, or $2.5 million in lieu of the property; a $13 mil- lion in Miami Beach mansion; a waterfront worth $24 million Miami Beach mansion; a 2021 Ferrari 812; a 2021 Ferrari F8; a 2023 Land Rover; and more than $414,000 combined from four bank accounts, according to the plea agreement. DOJ prosecutors accused the men of creat- ing various shell companies all across the coun- try with names like ICE (International Click Exchange LLC), Quick Body Nutra LLC, and Swipe Wyre Media LLC. Through the companies, the men would establish fraudulent trade lines with consumers online and sell fake products, according to the indictment. DOJ prosecutors initially charged Liburdi and co. with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering, although Liburdi’s plea agreement was for a lesser charge of filing a false tax return. According to the indictment, the defendants “shall forfeit to the United States and property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violation.” [email protected] THE MEN WOULD ESTABLISH FRAUDULENT TRADE LINES WITH CONSUMERS ONLINE AND SELL FAKE PRODUCTS, ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT.
