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Aventura Condo CEO arrested and charged with extortion and theft of .5 million
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Aventura Condo CEO arrested and charged with extortion and theft of $1.5 million

AVENTURA, Fla. — Aventura police arrested a condo board chairman Tuesday on multiple felony charges, including racketeering and money laundering, after accusing him of embezzling more than $1.5 million from condo owners since 2017.

Police were seen at the Turnberry on the Green building at 19501 W. Country Club Drive when Gregori Arzumanov was taken into custody Tuesday morning.

According to an online biography, Arzumanov, who is originally from the former Soviet state of Georgia, has been the club’s president since 2008.

In the biography, the 61-year-old praises his money management skills and says he and the board rescued Turnberry on the Green from a “catastrophic” financial situation and made it the “most financially stable condominium in South Florida.”

However, in an arrest warrant, Aventura police alleged that Arzumanov stole from the owners of the units.

“There was trouble in paradise,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference Tuesday.

Arzumanov is accused of hiring his own companies to perform work on the building at inflated prices, including switching security contractors to a company he controlled and billing his own pool company “for services it did not provide and which.” another company has already paid for it.”

Authorities said his pool company earned $40,000 in 2019 “for services it never provided.”

They said he continued to bill the club even though he knew law enforcement was investigating him.

Investigators said Arzumanov also appointed himself property manager and chief engineer, despite not being a licensed engineer and having a background in quantum physics.

“He managed to consolidate various positions within the condominium that allowed him to steal assets from the club,” Fernandez Rundle said.

According to the arrest warrant, Arzumanov paid for personal expenses, including groceries, gas and Dunkin’ Donuts, using the club’s credit card.

In one case, investigators said he paid a $45 bill at Crazy Buffet in West Palm Beach using the club’s American Express card.

Police also say he used the money from the owners’ maintenance fees for personal use and even purchased nearly $30,000 worth of artwork found in his apartment.

Arzumanov used “threats and fear” to maintain control of the club and filed “multiple lawsuits against other club members in an attempt to silence the opposition and suppress any (other opinion),” authorities allege.

“The vast majority of owners are investors who do not live in the building and therefore are not exposed to or aware of the day-to-day problems,” police wrote. “The defendant used a well-orchestrated misinformation campaign to make the building appear profitable to the owners, who would question nothing as long as their investment appeared safe.”

In addition to racketeering and money laundering, Arzumanov is charged with grand theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, organized fraud and making a false statement to the Florida Department of State.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $500,000 bond.

Aventura police said more arrests are likely to be made. The city’s police chief had a message for those involved.

“You have the opportunity to contact our detectives or the district attorney’s office to cooperate with us, but that is a very small window of time,” Chief Michael Bentolila said. “If you don’t accept it, we’ll be at your doorstep and we’ll arrest you too.”

Read the warrant:

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