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A North Miami man has been arrested after he scammed another man out of $7,000 by falsifying DNA records for a French bulldog he was selling, back in July of 2023.
According to an arrest report, on July 10, 2023, the victim, Malik Bellamy, messaged 31-year-old Justin Jaramillo on Instagram after he listed a Big Rope French Bulldog for sale.
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This breed is particularly known for its fluffy traits, which means they have longer, softer, and fluffier coats.
Bellamy said he exchanged several messages with Jaramillo through Instagram and by text message and he agreed to purchase the pup for $7,000, the report said.
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Jaramillo provided Bellamy with a screenshot via text of the dog's DNA results, allegedly from Animal Genetics, indicating that the gene trait was present in the puppy he was purchasing, the report said.
Bellamy received the screenshot, saw the puppy in a Whatsapp video call, and provided Jaramillo and his wife Katerin Ampudia-Perea a $500 deposit via Zelle, the report said.
The puppy was eventually delivered by Ampudia-Perea in Austin, Texas. Once the puppy was delivered, the remaining $6,500 were paid to her in cash, the report said.
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Trouble began once Bellamy had ownership of the pup.
According to the arrest report, he continued to ask Jaramillo for the health records and after some time, Jaramillo sent a screenshot, but Bellamy said they did not appear legitimate.
At the bottom of the inspection form provided to Bellamy, was the name of Veterinarian Dr. Yoleidi Fontes, who later provided a written statement confirming she did not fill out any paperwork or see any puppies belonging to Jaramillo on the date listed on the aforementioned inspection form, the report said.
Lee Minor, from Animal Genetics, also confirmed the alteration of the initial genetics report provided to Bellamy, the report said.
Bellamy tried to contact Jaramillo for his money back, but he never received any messages or was reimbursed any funds.
On Thursday, however, shortly after 2 p.m., Jaramillo was detained in the parking lot of his home located in the 13000 block of NW 6th Avenue in North Miami and was transported to the Miami-Dade Police intracoastal station.
After being read his Miranda rights, Jaramillo waived his right to counsel, the report said.
Based on all the facts of the case, police said Jaramillo engaged in a systematic, ongoing course of conduct by producing multiple fictitious documents to Bellamy falsely representing the sold French Bulldog's DNA and veterinarian official documentation.
Jaramillo still hasn't reimbursed Bellamy nor followed through with providing him with a Big Rope French Bulldog.
The initial investigation revealed that Jaramillo obtained funds from Bellamy by willful false representation and was charged accordingly.
He was then transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
