The arrest of a North Miami Beach condominium property manager in early April serves as a reminder for Florida condominium associations of the potential for fraud involving construction and renovation projects.
According to news reports in South Florida, Maria Del Carmen Alvarez-Concepcion, 57, was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on charges of soliciting/accepting kickback payments, organized fraud and second-degree grand theft. The former property manager of the Greynolds Park Club Condominium stands accused of receiving approximately $21,000 in cash and Zelle transfers from a construction contractor working on the building.
The arrest report states that an association board member reported “longstanding concerns regarding the defendant’s exclusive control over multimillion dollar contracts, lack of financial transparency, questionable fees, missing records, and the exclusion of certain board members from major association decisions.” It also indicates Alvarez-Concepcion provided the detectives with a statement admitting to accepting kickback payments from the vendor contractor…