A man has been arrested and charged with impersonating a Miami Springs pizzeria. This scheme swindled customers and smeared the reputation of a local pizza staple, Roman's Pizzeria, which has stood for 40 years.
Jose Marti-Alvarez, 55, is facing charges for a deliberate ruse where he hawked bogus pizza flyers to hotels around Northwest 36th Street, hoodwinking tourists into ordering what they believed were legitimate offerings from Roman's Pizzeria. According to Local 10, the impostor pies were not only a major downgrade from the real deal, but some were akin to, "a box with a piece of raw dough."
The real owner of Roman's Pizzeria, Jesus Roman, expressed his concerns not just for the confusion it caused, but also for the stain it left on his establishment's name—a name cultivated with care over four decades. The impact, as Roman detailed and as investigators corroborated, included customers inundating the genuine Roman's with complaints about the food quality and, in some cases, showing up to confront the staff. "They just give it to them and by (the) time they realize it they're gone anyway," Roman told Local 10.
The situation turned physical when Marti-Alvarez, upon being confronted by a hotel manager over his misleading flyers, allegedly hit the manager with his car while attempting to flee. The incident led to an additional charge of aggravated battery. After a court session yesterday, where probable cause for the charge was found, Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer set a bond for Marti-Alvarez at $5,000, as reported by Local 10. His bond for the organized scheme to defraud charge was yet to be set.
Roman, however, has expressed a desire for an unconventional remedy to the situation. In a show of empathy and perhaps understanding of the burdens of entrepreneurship, Roman, said, "I would like him to not use my restaurant's name and if he uses his right name, then do the right food." This statement, obtained by CBS News Miami, encapsulates the measured response of a seasoned businessman amidst the situation.
