MDSO: Phony contractor who swindled $9K out of Miami-Dade homeowner cited ‘financial hardship’

Julio Rodriguez, a 51-year-old Miami Beach man, was arrested for posing as a contractor to secure a $9,000 deposit for a home renovation project he never executed. He cashed the check immediately and admitted to 'financial hardship' after his arrest, facing charges of grand theft and unlicensed contracting.