Second Guilty Plea In Rent Money Theft

A 44-year-old Florida man pleaded guilty to conducting a criminal enterprise last Friday for stealing rent payments from apartment buildings around mid- and southern Michigan.

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office issud charges against Rafael Rodriguez and Juan Miguel Rodriguez-Venagas in March after it was discovered that between 2019 and 2022, the men were stealing cash and money orders from drop boxes in Bay, Midland, Saginaw and Oakland counties, with much of that money used for rent payments to their respectinve landlords.

Rodriguez-Venagas pleaded guilty earlier this month. Both men are ordered to pay more than $36,000 in restitution. They face sentencing of up to 20 years in prison.