Miami man arrested on fraud and animal cruelty charges after police find live goat and decapitated chickens
A southwest Miami-Dade man who rapped about stealing bank account information online is now facing felony and animal cruelty charges after investigators say they watched him livestream the alleged crimes in real time.
Lazaro Lesteiro-Diaz, 26, who goes by "Drakula" and "YungLazz," according to the arrest report, was arrested Thursday at approximately 2 p.m. at his home located between Southwest 113rd Avenue and 43rd Lane. He is facing five felony charges, including money laundering, organized fraud, identity theft, drug possession, and animal cruelty.
The case began on June 17, when City of Miami Police officers watched a video of Lesteiro-Diaz rapping in Spanish while holding a laptop with money on it and wearing a call-center headset. According to the arrest report, the lyrics described bank spoofing and account takeover schemes, including lines referencing calling victims from a Bank of America number and stealing their codes.
On July 6, officers and an FBI agent watched Lesteiro-Diaz livestream in real time. During that stream, he allegedly displayed a Glock-style firearm with an extended magazine, large stacks of cash, a laptop screen showing multiple victims' personal identifying information, and a bottle of a substance investigators suspect is Promethazine.
On July 21, officers found another video of him in a bathroom displaying multiple debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, cash, and a firearm with an extended magazine.
Investigators obtained a residential search warrant on July 22. The following day, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Special Response Team, the City of Miami Special Investigations Section, and the FBI Violent Gang Task Force executed the warrant at the home.
Inside his room, officers seized a Glock 21 handgun with an extended magazine loaded with live rounds, additional magazines, a box of ammunition, loose rounds in a drawer, $379 in cash, multiple IDs, a call-center headset, a diamond chain and watch, and a prescription bottle of Promethazine with the prescriber's name scratched off. Two baby bottles containing suspected Promethazine and a small amount of suspected cannabis were also found.
In the rear of the residence, officers found two decapitated dead chickens. FBI agents later found a video of Lesteiro-Diaz holding the two dead chickens by their feet, according to the affidavit.
Near a room containing religious items, officers found a live baby goat inside a box with its neck painted orange, which investigators noted marked where the animal was scheduled to be slaughtered. Officers coordinated with Miami Animal Rescue and transported the goat to the Varela High School farm for temporary care.
After his arrest, Lesteiro-Diaz was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators. He told them he had lived at the residence for about a year and a half, claimed ownership of the room and the firearm, said he purchased the gun at Bass Pro Shop, stated he bought the Promethazine online, and acknowledged previously attempting to commit fraud. He then invoked his right to remain silent.
He appeared in bond court, where his total bond was set at $30,000. No court date was listed in the arrest report.