A Florida couple allegedly conned their longtime friends out of hundreds of thousands of dollars for promised cruise ship trips and luxury jewelry, according to authorities. <\/p>\n
Antonio Diaz, 65, and his wife, Maria Blasco Diaz, 64,\u00a0were arrested last Tuesday for allegedly creating a \u201clarge-scale fraud scheme\u201d and stealing a whopping total of $200,259.85 from the victims, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
A victim and her family paid Maria Blasco Diaz nearly $45,000 after she allegedly promised them she could get them a discounted rate. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office<\/p>\n
Blasco Diaz allegedly claimed to one of the victims in 2023 that she could get \u201cdiscounted cruises and travel accommodations\u201d through a friend who she said worked at Royal Caribbean, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Post. <\/p>\n
The victim and her family then sent a total of $44,910 to the Diaz\u2019s through Zelle, checks, and cash, for the promised \u201ccruise excursions, drink packages, room upgrades, hotel stays, transportation, and travel insurance,\u201d the document said. <\/p>\n
Blasco Diaz made repeated excuses to the victim as to why she couldn\u2019t provide travel documents for the \u201cOdyssey of the Seas\u201d voyage as the July 9, 2023, departure date loomed, the affidavit alleged. <\/p>\n
The alleged swindler eventually provided checks for a partial repayment and offered to pay the remaining balance through a line of credit \u2014 but the funds were drawn from a newly opened account with an insufficient balance, court documents said. <\/p>\n
The victim had also reached out to the cruise company about the trip reservation number provided by Blasco Diaz, but the company said it did not belong to the victim or her family. <\/p>\n
The couple also allegedly accepted hefty deposits for luxury watches and jewelry after Antonio Diaz allegedly promised they could benefit from his employee discount. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office<\/p>\n
The couple also allegedly accepted deposits totaling nearly $139,000 for 16 Rolex watches and one Patek Philippe watch beginning in 2022 after claiming they could benefit from Diaz\u2019s 50% discount at a jewelry store he worked out.<\/p>\n
They also received payments for \u201cdiscounted\u201d $3,000 diamond earrings under the same scheme, the affidavit alleged. <\/p>\n
None of the luxe jewelry was given to the victims after repeated excuses for delays. The victims have not been paid any restitution for the fraud scheme, court documents said. <\/p>\n