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van Dario Diez, 58, a contractor and uncle of former Hammocks board president Marglli Gallego, was charged with grand theft and other crimes related to a massive HOA fraud scheme. Investigators say Diez posed as a contractor but did little work at the West Kendall property, receiving $172,000 from HOA coffers between June 2022 and November 2022, including $124,000 in cash. He is married to Gallego's aunt.

    Diez was arrested on Thursday morning after two former board members who were originally charged pleaded guilty and started cooperating with investigators. The scheme involved hiring contractors like Diez and Gallego's husband Jose Gonzalez, who didn't do much work but received payment from the HOA. The money was allegedly siphoned to the pockets of those involved.

    Former vice president Myriam Ghilardi, who became president after Gallego's arrest in 2021, pleaded guilty and is cooperating with investigators. She signed vendor checks on behalf of the HOA and received $291,000 from the scheme. Under her plea agreement, she will serve a year and a day in prison followed by 12 years of probation.

    Prosecutors claim that Diez bought the rights to Deco Enterprises for $3,000 just before billing the Hammocks, despite not being a licensed contractor. His invoices included one for cleanup after a hurricane, but there was no hurricane. The investigation has revealed that the scheme was partly a family operation, with many contractors controlled by friends and family of Gallego.

    More than $1 million was siphoned from the HOA coffers, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office, although a court-appointed receiver claims the theft was closer to $6 million.