A Sister’s Renovation, Paid for by the Whole Building
Roberto Montalvo Jr. spent more than a decade as the trusted face of his condominium’s homeowners association near Miami Gardens. On April 23, 2025, he was arrested and charged with grand theft, accused by investigators of quietly siphoning more than $15,000 out of the association’s bank account, including money spent on plumbing work at a relative’s unit rather than the building he was elected to represent, according to CBS News Miami’s report on the arrest.
Montalvo, 64, served as board president of the Ro-Mont South Condominium in the Ives Estates area of Miami-Dade County, according to Local10 News. Investigators say the scheme began in August 2022 and unraveled only after a new board president took over the association’s books and noticed the numbers did not add up.
How the Money Allegedly Moved
According to the arrest report cited by NBC 6 South Florida, Montalvo allegedly directed a plumbing contractor hired by the association to also complete repairs at his sister’s condo unit within the same complex, then paid for that personal job using association funds, roughly $3,000 to $3,500. He separately asked the same plumber to cash association checks totaling $12,400 and hand the money back to him directly.
The sheriff’s office wrote in the arrest report, as reported by CBS News Miami, that Montalvo used the power entrusted to him by the members of the association to embezzle their hard-earned funds and divert them for his own use and benefit.
An Arrest Built on a Paper Trail
Montalvo was booked and released on a $2,500 bond, according to Local10’s reporting. Association boards routinely hand a single officer signing authority over checks, on the assumption that neighbors elected to serve their neighbors will not exploit that trust.
What Comes Next
Homeowners did not elect Montalvo expecting an audit of every invoice. They elected him because volunteer board leadership is supposed to run on trust, and it is that trust, more than the $15,000 itself, that the arrest report says he spent.
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