Investigators say 486 refund checks were issued to the worker’s husband and son, then hidden in the books.
MIAMI, FL — A former billing clerk at Brickell Motors and her husband and son were arrested Monday, Dec. 8, after police said a yearslong refund-check scheme drained more than $1 million from the Little Havana auto dealership. The three appeared in bond court Tuesday.
Authorities allege the clerk, identified as 51-year-old Yuddy Mejias, generated company checks under customer accounts but made them payable to her relatives, then altered accounting entries to conceal the thefts. Her husband, 54-year-old Miguel Gonzalez, and her son, 28-year-old Angel Gonzalez, are accused of cashing the checks as the amounts grew over time. The case is now in the hands of Miami police and prosecutors as the dealership reviews losses and investigators comb records. The arrests mark the latest development since an internal tip last year prompted management to suspend the employee and alert police.
According to arrest reports and a warrant, Mejias worked for the dealership’s parent, Murgado Automotive Group, also known as Brickell Motors, since 2013. She started in the cafeteria and later moved into billing, where she processed refunds. Detectives said the scheme spanned a decade and involved 486 checks totaling about $1,047,188. “You would go in as a customer, you would buy a vehicle, and she would say you have a refund coming to you,” Miami Police spokesman Michael Vega said, describing how checks were created under customer accounts but issued to family members. Vega said amounts typically ranged from $1,000 to $3,000 and were sometimes cashed multiple times per month. Investigators said Mejias changed entries in the accounting system after issuing the checks to hide the payouts.
Police said the dealership at 665 SW Eighth St. in Little Havana became suspicious in August 2024 when an employee in accounting anonymously alerted a company vice president. Management suspended Mejias and began pulling records, leading to a police inquiry that traced the checks to Gonzalez and their son. Detectives said Mejias generated more than 480 checks over several years and the alleged theft accelerated in recent years as amounts increased. The family was taken into custody at a home in the Olympia Heights area of southwest Miami-Dade on Monday afternoon, and all three were booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. No injuries were reported and police said the investigation remains active, with additional financial records still being reviewed.
Court records show Mejias faces counts of first-degree grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and conspiracy to commit an organized scheme to defraud, along with a separate charge of making a false entry in a corporation’s records. Gonzalez and his son face first-degree grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and conspiracy counts. Police said the alleged refund checks began years earlier and continued into 2024, when the anonymous tip surfaced. Brickell Motors, part of Murgado Automotive Group, sells new and pre-owned vehicles from a cluster of stores near Eighth Street and I-95. The company did not immediately release a detailed statement on the arrests. It was not clear if the defendants have retained attorneys or entered pleas.
Brickell Motors has operated in the neighborhood for decades, and its corporate entity, Miami Automotive Retail Inc., has been involved in civil filings connected to the alleged losses. Records indicate Mejias’ tenure at the company predates the suspected thefts, which detectives said were executed by using routine billing access to create refund checks and then adjusting the ledger to mask the transactions. Police said the method exploited everyday dealership workflows rather than breaching external systems. The warrant cites the cumulative total of more than $1 million and a pattern of small-dollar checks as the alleged scheme’s hallmark.
After Tuesday’s first appearance, a judge set bonds reflecting the felony counts. As of Tuesday afternoon, court records listed Mejias’ bond at $125,000 and Miguel and Angel Gonzalez at $120,000 each. A separate booking log listed slightly different amounts earlier in the day; officials said the investigation is ongoing and additional filings are possible as auditors and detectives reconcile the financials. Prosecutors are expected to conduct a formal charging decision in the coming days. Future hearings will determine discovery schedules and whether the defendants remain on bond while the case proceeds.
Outside the jail, no relatives spoke to reporters. In court, the hearing was brief and procedural. The judge acknowledged the dollar figure cited by police and restricted contact between the defendants and the business. Vega said detectives are still gathering bank and dealership records and interviewing employees who handled customer paperwork. Neighbors near the Olympia Heights home where the arrests occurred watched officers move in midday Monday; one resident described a line of marked units on the block and said the operation wrapped up within an hour. No additional arrests were announced.
The three remained jailed late Wednesday morning as detectives continued reviewing ledgers and bank deposits. A docket update is expected once prosecutors file formal charges and a hearing date is set.
Author note: Last updated December 10, 2025.