8 December 29, 2022 - January 4, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Luiz Capuci Jr. Perhaps it was the Lamborghini he used as part of his child’s gender-reveal party, or maybe the live giraffe at the little fella’s first birthday celebration, but Luiz Capuci’s family members had their suspicions about the source of his wealth. Evidently, so did the feds. Earlier this year, the Port St. Lucie man was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly or- chestrating a $62 million global investment fraud scheme through his cryptocurrency mining company, Mining Capital Coin. Prosecutors say Capuci duped inves- tors by selling “Mining Packages” that falsely promised substantial returns from mining new cryptocurrencies. This modus operandi allegedly allowed him to divert money from thousands of clients to cryptocurrency wallets he controlled. Shlomo Danzinger We’ll admit it’s easy to get lost in the depths of Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger’s slate-blue eyes and lulled into a semi-somnambulant state when he speaks. Such charms aside — and utterly apart from the slightest whiff of criminal wrongdo- ing — Hizzoner has been on a roll alienating people since he split the vote and edged out rival veteran pols Charles Burkett (incumbent mayor) and Tina Paul (in- cumbent vice mayor) in March, likely thanks to public dissatisfaction in the aftermath of the tragic 2021 condo collapse. Danzinger promptly made himself all but inaccessible to journalists at town hall, then opted not to fly the LGBTQ pride flag out front for Pride Month. (He said he supported gay rights but feared making the seaside hamlet vulnerable to flag-flying requests from Satanists and the like. More recently, Danz- inger presided over the so-far unexplained exo- dus of three top city offi- cials who tendered vague resignation letters. Danzinger’s tightlipped tendencies fueled suspi- cions and, reportedly, an ethics complaint from Burkett alleging that the de- partures were arranged behind closed doors in violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law. Gabriel Garcia A year after accused January 6 rioter Gabriel Garcia asked a federal judge to remove his ankle monitor, claiming it was embarrassing him around his clients, he presented the court with another bold request: permission to return to the scene of his alleged crimes. One of the first South Floridians nabbed in connection with the insurrection, Garcia allegedly filmed himself storming the Capitol while sporting a red MAGA cap, taunting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “come out and play,” and calling the U.S. Capitol Police “fucking traitors,” all of which add up to pending federal charges. In September, Garcia, a former U.S. Army captain and onetime leader of the Vice City chapter of the far-right Proud Boys, sought the court’s approval to visit D.C. to attend a “January 6th Solidarity Truth” event featuring “numerous speakers related to supporting Jan. 6 defendants.” U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson summarily rejected the request, noting the absurdity of asking to “return to the very area from which he has been ordered to stay away.” Damara Holness It takes an especially weaselly impulse to take advantage of a program meant to help those suffering through financial hardship amid a pandemic. South Florida seems to be a fer- tile breeding ground for that brand of greed, as was evident in the number of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) scams prosecuted hereabouts. By September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern Dis- trict of Florida had tallied more than 80 COVID-19 relief fraud cases with more than $23 million in assets seized. And the prosecutions continue to mount. Among the high-profile perpetra- tors: Damara Holness, daughter of longtime Bro- ward County Commis- sioner Dale Holness. Damara devised a hare- brained scheme to ob- tain $300,000 in PPP loan funds by falsely claiming her consulting company had 18 em- ployees and paid wages of $1.44 million in 2019 — a year in which the company barely did any business at all. Once she se- cured the funds through the online financing company Kab- bage, she fabricated payroll and pocketed most of the wages she was ostensibly paying out. In January, the 30-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Mac-Kinley Lauriston Prosecutors claim onetime North Miami mayoral can- didate Mac-Kinley Lauris- ton spearheaded a six-year series of fraudulent schemes that netted more than $600,000 in pilfered public assets. Lauriston allegedly used his position as chief of staff for Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Mones- time to mark county discretionary grants for supposed programs to help ailing Haitian performers, promote cultural events, and support Haitian Heritage Month. But according to an arrest warrant, Lauris- ton and his associates used the money to line their own pock- ets. One of Lauriston’s many alleged schemes involved diverting county money into corporations fraudulently regis- tered in the names of unwitting local residents. Prosecutors claim Evelt Jeudy, another county employee in Monestime’s office, helped carry out the scheme alongside bank employee Nadine Chery, who has been tagged as Lauriston’s girlfriend. The trio faces felony charges of organized fraud, racketeer- ing, and grand theft, among dozens of other criminal counts. Garcia allegedly filmed himself storming the Capitol while sporting a red MAGA cap, taunting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “come out and play.”
