Nessel Email Header




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*

March 20, 2024




*Media Contact:
*Danny Wimmer <[email protected]>






*Two Florida Men Charged with Conducting a Criminal Enterprise and Other Crimes in Multiple Michigan Counties*





*LANSING* – The Midland County Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges jointly with the Department of Attorney General against Rafael Rodriguez and Juan Miguel Rodriguez-Venegas, both from Florida, for Conducting a Criminal Enterprise (CCE) and six counts of Larceny in a Building, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. 

Additional charges include two counts of Uttering and Publishing for Rodriguez and Possession of Burglar’s tools for Rodriguez-Venegas. Under the CCE charge, predicate acts include: 


* Six instances of Larceny in a Building in Midland County; 
* One instance of Larceny in a Building in Bay County; 
* Four instances of Larceny in a Building in Oakland County; and 
* Two instances of Larceny in a Building in Saginaw County. 

The men are charged for allegedly fishing money orders and cash out of drop boxes at apartment complexes and mobile home parks. They then allegedly cashed the money orders and kept the cash. The crimes are alleged to have taken place in 2019 and 2022. 

“Michigan residents who submit their rental payments through dedicated drop boxes should be able to trust that those payments will be used for their intended purposes and not to line the pockets of criminals,” Nessel said. “I’m grateful for our partnership with J. Dee Brooks and the Midland County Prosecutors Office that will allow these defendants to be held accountable.” 

“This is a very unusual but important case in that it involves many apparent criminal offenses in multiple jurisdictions, and we look forward to partnering with the Attorney General’s Office to address the problem with out of state actors coming into Michigan to victimize our citizens,” said J. Dee Brooks, Midland County Prosecuting Attorney. 

Rodriguez was arraigned in Midland County on March 15, 2024, and returns to court on March 26, 2024, for a Probable Cause Conference. Rodriguez-Venegas was arraigned on February 5, 2024, and has a Probable Cause Conference on April 9, 2024. Both cases are before Judge Michael Carpenter in the 75th District Court. 

 

"###"

"*Please note:* For all criminal proceedings, a criminal charge is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Department does not provide booking photos."






AG logo [ [link removed] ]





*Media Inquiries* <[email protected]>




*Latest Releases* [ [link removed] ]




*File a Complaint* [ [link removed] ]







________________________________________________________________________

Michigan Department of the Attorney General [ [link removed] ]   Questions?
  Contact Us [ [link removed] ]

STAY CONNECTED: Visit us on Twitter [ [link removed] ] Instagram logo [ [link removed] ] Visit us on Facebook [ [link removed] ] YouTube [ [link removed] ] Sign up for email updates [ [link removed] ]      

Bookmark and Share [ [link removed] ]

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]  | Help [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Attorney General · G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor · 525 W. Ottawa St., P.O. Box 30212 · Lansing, MI 48909 · 517-373-1100