Construction contractor paid Miami-Dade condo manager $185,000 disguised as loans, investigators say

A Hialeah condo building that CBS News Miami investigated in 2024 for crumbling infrastructure is now at the center of a fraud case, with two men facing charges that a property manager took more than $185,000 in kickbacks while construction work stalled.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office announced the charges on Thursday.

Richard Thomas Murray, 62, is charged with organized scheme to defraud over $50,000. Murray owns a construction company that was contracted with the condo association starting in 2024.

Carlos Jose Mejia, 51, the property manager, is charged with organized scheme to defraud and 10 counts of receiving kickbacks.

Investigators say Murray paid Mejia more than $185,000 through checks that described the payments as a "loan agreement." Their investigation did not turn up any evidence the money was ever repaid.

Employees of Murray's construction company told investigators the company held three contracts with Venetian Gardens but stopped work because of a lack of funds.

Venetian Gardens at Country Club of Miami in Hialeah consists of 21 buildings, many in need of significant repairs. The State Attorney's Office released video showing water and debris on the ground outside homes at the complex.

A 2024 law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis made it illegal for condo managers to accept kickbacks of any kind.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said her office launched the investigation after CBS News Miami's 2024 reporting on the building.

"Once the story broke, I asked my team here, this great team here, best team in America, I called them to go out there and to see what was happening," Fernandez Rundle said.

She said the case reflects broader changes in how condo owners are being protected.

"They hurt every day families of managed communities," Fernandez Rundle said. "Our show shows today that the changes we long advocated for are working, and they are working their way into the daily lives of condo owners. Those Florida homeowners who have been overlooked for far too long."

It was not immediately clear when Murray and Mejia were scheduled to appear in court.