Piñera-Vazquez Law Firm and Salazar Law Secures Defense Not Guilty in Three-Week Criminal Wire Fraud Case

November 25, 2024 Posted in Firm News

Silvia Piñera-Vazquez, of the Piñera-Vazquez Law Firm, and Luis Salazar, of Salazar Law, LLP, are pleased to announce that they have secured a Not Guilty jury verdict on behalf of their client Dr. Carlos Mahecha after a three-week jury trial in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.  Dr. Mahecha was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and several substantive wire fraud counts.  The jury deliberated for three hours on Thursday, November 21, 2024, and returned a verdict absolving Dr. Mahecha on all 10 counts.

 Dr. Mahecha was defended by boutique litigation firms Piñera-Vazquez Law Firm and Salazar Law in Miami.

“We are thrilled with this verdict that completely vindicates Dr. Mahecha and clears his good name.  We are thankful that Dr. Mahecha had the courage to stand up to the government and entrust this decision to members of the jury,” said lead trial attorney Silvia B. Piñera-Vázquez.

 “I am grateful that the truth has finally prevailed. We thank Dr. Mahecha for his trust in us throughout this ordeal, and look forward to delivering an equally resounding victory in the civil case spawned by this ill-considered indictment,” said trial attorney Luis Salazar. 

Both the criminal and related civil case arises out of the Bal Harbour Quarzo project, a $60 million boutique, luxury hotel constructed and located in Bal Harbour. Drew M. Dillworth, the Chapter 7 trustee of Bal Harbour Quarzo, LLC, has sued Dr. Mahecha alleging breach of fiduciary duties and seeks $45 million in damages. The claims involve novel legal theories, particularly the assertion of failure to file bankruptcy as a basis for legal action, which adds complexity to those proceedings.