Miami-Dade elevator mechanics accused of paying hundreds to cheat open-book exam; 10 charged

MIAMI – Eight elevator mechanics in Miami-Dade County are accused of paying hundreds of dollars to have someone else take required state certification exams, now they and two others are facing charges.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the arrests in what her office described as a “cheating scheme” Thursday.

“When someone tries to shortcut a public safety requirement or certification, they go out of their way to create an unnecessary risk,” she said.

According to a news release, Xael Concepcion-Vargas, Jose Cuevas-Romero, Ramon Fleitas, Marcos Garcia, Hugo Marte, Gabriel Ortiz, Jose Tirado-Blanco and Frederick Williams paid $250 to $400 to have David Valles-Gomez take the competency exam in their names.

Fernandez Rundle said Gabriel Alfonso acted as a middleman in the scheme. Valles-Gomez would pocket about $200 to $300, she said.

The exam was online and open-book, according to her office.

“Upon the discovery of this alleged scheme, all work undertaken by these individuals on Miami-Dade County property was re-inspected by Florida Certified elevator mechanics,” Fernandez Rundle said.

Back in 2021, Local 10 News reported on elevator safety concerns at one highly-visited piece of county-owned property: Miami International Airport.

It’s not clear if any of the men worked on elevators, escalators or moving walkways at the airport.

All face third-degree felony charges of organized scheme to defraud and criminal cheating.

Alfonso and Valles-Gomez face additional counts of each charge because of their alleged roles in running the scheme.