MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A 39-year-old convicted felon detectives linked to the Latin Kings gang was back behind bars for allegedly betraying a long-time friend who helped him after his release from prison, police said.
Albert Fernandez, who was born in Cuba, has a criminal record in Miami-Dade County that goes back about 14 years and includes domestic violence cases and over 20 convictions.
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Records show Fernandez was arrested for battery on a pregnant woman when he was 25 and he has been in and out of Florida prison since he was 27.
There was a domestic battery by strangulation case when he was 31 in Hialeah. He made headlines a few years later after a police chase in Opa-locka while he was driving a stolen truck and was wanted for burglaries in Miami Lakes.
Earlier this year, state corrections released Fernandez from prison on Feb. 17, and it only took weeks for the felon to become a crime suspect in Miami Gardens.
According to a police arrest report, a man reported Fernandez was a friend he had known for about 15 to 20 years, so he trusted him to stay at his home to help him get back on his feet.
On March 10, Fernandez allegedly betrayed his friend and stole about $38,000 worth of property from the home near Miami Gardens Drive, including a firearm, jewelry, clothes, and shoes, according to the police report.
Detectives arrested Fernandez for burglary and grand theft and Miami-Dade correctional deputies booked him on Monday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
On Tuesday, the victim showed a Miami Gardens detective remorseful text messages from Fernandez, who was not allowed to have a firearm, and home surveillance video of the burglary, according to police.
On Wednesday, a Miami-Dade judge denied Fernandez’s bond in court and records showed he had six probation warrant cases aside from the new case in Miami Gardens.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.