A mother and her son are facing charges in connection with an alleged fraud operation that ripped a Medley company out of over $620,000 to fund their lavish lifestyle, according to police.
Maria Rodriguez and Miguel Antonio Perez are charged with grand theft, organized scheme to deceive, and conspiracy to commit organized scheme to defraud, Medley Police announced on Wednesday.
Police said the arrests are part of “Operation Iron Illusion,” which began in April 2025 in response to a tip of financial misconduct involving the company, Iron Container Holdings LLC.
Investigators determined that Rodriguez, the firm’s president, had used her position to benefit herself and her son, who was first hired as a security guard at the company for $42,000 per year and then had his income upped to $114,000 since he worked remotely, police said.
However, detectives discovered that the company did not have office security guards, and witnesses saw no evidence of Perez conducting security tasks, according to police.
In fact, his corporate access card and computer credentials had not been used since 2022, and 49 individual conflicts were identified indicating that he checked into a gym while also claiming to be working, according to police.
According to investigators, Rodriguez used business credit cards to pay for luxury vehicles, a Brickell apartment, yachts, and designer clothing, as well as gym memberships, auto insurance, and criminal defense legal bills.
Police suspect that they embezzled approximately $620,000 from the company and claimed personal costs as corporate expenses.The Medley Police Department is still committed to protecting our business community. “We will not tolerate people in positions of trust abusing that trust for personal gain at the expense of local businesses, their employees, and our community,” the agency stated in a statement. “We will continue to use every resource available to identify, locate, and hold accountable those responsible for these crimes.”
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