A months-long rental scam that hopped county lines and crossed state borders has landed a Hollywood man in the Monroe County jail, after deputies say he walked off with a high-end sewer-inspection camera from a Marathon rental shop and never looked back.
Monroe County detectives describe the case as a multi-jurisdiction probe that eventually stretched as far as North Carolina. The investigation pulled in agencies from several Florida counties as they tried to link a string of suspicious equipment rentals to the same suspect.
It all started in December 2025, when Sunbelt Rentals in Marathon reported that a customer rented a specialized sewer camera worth about $14,400 and failed to return it. Not exactly a cheap weekend rental. Investigators say the person who signed the paperwork used a fake name and an inactive credit card, leaving behind a trail of bogus information that took some serious legwork to unravel, according to reporting by the Tampa Free Press.
Detectives ultimately identified the suspect as 34-year-old Roberto Alain Riera Richard of Hollywood, Florida. When officers caught up with him, investigators say he had several forged driver’s licenses on him, along with legitimate licenses that belonged to other people. “The investigation remains active,” the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office told the Tampa Free Press.
Riera Richard was already in a Miami-Dade jail on unrelated charges before being transferred to Monroe County for formal booking. Deputies say they expect more charges to follow as other jurisdictions wrap up their own cases.
Equipment Theft Rings And The Resale Market
Once Monroe County started digging, detectives said they found similar suspicious rentals popping up in Broward, Charlotte, Miami-Dade and Osceola counties. Investigators also worked with law enforcement in Mooresville, North Carolina, to chart the pattern they believe connects the incidents.
The setup sounds familiar to anyone who has followed previous Florida equipment-theft busts. In past cases, thieves have been accused of renting or outright stealing expensive construction gear, then flipping it on social media and other online marketplaces, a pattern detailed in reporting by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
Consumer advocates say renters and buyers should keep their guard up in any high-dollar deal. Federal guidance cautions people to verify listings, meet sellers in person whenever possible, and steer clear of wiring money or prepaying large sums to strangers. The FTC maintains public resources on how to recognize and avoid rental scams.
Legal Fallout And Possible Charges
Monroe County has charged Riera Richard with felony grand theft in connection with the roughly $14,400 sewer camera. Under Florida law, theft of high-value property can be prosecuted as grand theft once it crosses statutory dollar thresholds. The state’s theft and grand-theft grading rules are laid out in Florida Statutes 7 812.014.
Deputies also say they recovered forged identification documents, which could open the door to additional state charges related to forgery or identity theft, as well as potential federal scrutiny under laws governing false identification such as 18 U.S.C. 7 1028.
Authorities are asking any businesses or individuals who suspect they have been hit by a similar fraudulent rental scheme to contact their local law enforcement agencies. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is ongoing and that it will release further updates as other jurisdictions finalize their cases.
