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Convicted Miami scammer now accused of fake rape claim, attempted murder

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Convicted Miami scammer now accused of fake rape claim, attempted murder


HIALEAH, Fla. – A woman convicted of multiple felonies for scamming thousands of dollars from prospective Miami apartment renters is now in even more serious trouble — this time in Hialeah.

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Local 10 News first reported on Valerie Meza-Faublack in 2022, when she donned the alter ego “Hamanda” and lied to multiple would-be renters about the availability of a Little Havana apartment so she could steal thousands in security deposits.

Now, the 23-year-old is accused of lying about being raped and firing more than a dozen gunshots at the man she claimed did it — all while on probation for the scamming spree.

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Meza-Faublack, of Hollywood, is now facing charges including armed robbery and attempted murder following her arrest on Wednesday.

According to the Hialeah Police Department, officers responded to a warehouse parking lot at 490 W. 18th St. just after 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 for what they thought was a sexual battery and shooting investigation.

An arrest report states that Meza-Faublack claimed she met a man, originally viewed as the suspect, outside of her workplace: the Rainbow Restaurant off West Eighth Avenue.

Police said she claimed he drove her to the parking lot, where he took out a gun, forced her to pull her pants down, raped her, then “dragged her out of the driver side door by her hair” and fired shots at her while she was escaping. They said they learned the next day, however, that Meza-Faublack refused to let staff at the Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center perform a rape kit on her.

Authorities said the man told them that he met Meza-Faublack, whom he didn’t know, at a bar. The report states she asked him if he wanted to leave the bar with her and he agreed.

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The two went to the parking lot and undressed to have sex, he told police.

“As the victim attempted to climb into the rear passenger seat of the motor vehicle, (Meza-Faublack) unlawfully took possession of his firearm, which was in the driver compartment area, and began shooting into the vehicle where he was occupying the rear passenger seat,” the report states. “After the shooting stopped, (the) victim advised he exited the vehicle, physically retrieved the firearm from (her) and fled the scene.”

Authorities said they interviewed Meza-Faublack again on Wednesday. She claimed, police said, that she had paid the victim $20 to charge her phone in his vehicle. She said he then drove her to the parking lot, where he raped her — but not at gunpoint — then tried to rape her again. The report states she told detectives that she then convinced the man to “let her go urinate outside.”

Much of the rest of her statement was redacted, but detectives later noted that Meza-Faublack said “once she saw the victim retrieved his firearm, she ran to the front passenger side door and attempted to open it” to get her cellphone.

Detectives said they were “able to disprove” Meza-Faublack’s accounts of the incident and corroborate the victim’s account, after viewing surveillance video clips.

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Police described in the report what the clips showed:

“In the videos, the defendant (Meza-Faublack) is seen exiting from the front passenger seat on her own, as she is removing her own blue jacket and opens the right-rear passenger door. The defendant then throws her jacket into the front passenger seat and left both passenger doors open. The defendant voluntarily walks around the rear of the vehicle and goes to the driver side door, where she met with the victim.

The defendant is then seen standing in between the open driver side door and the doorway for several minutes with her pants still properly on. After a brief time, the victim and the defendant enters the vehicle via the left side and all four doors are seen being closed from the occupants inside the vehicle. The defendant and the victim remained inside the vehicle for several minutes.

Shortly thereafter, the defendant exits the vehicle through the driver side door and immediately began shooting into the occupied vehicle. After the shooting, the victim is seen exiting from the left-rear passenger door and a physical struggle for the firearm from the defendants grasp ensued.

After the victim retrieved his empty firearm from the defendant, the defendant ran back to the front passenger door and attempted to open the door as the victim re-entered his vehicle. The victim ultimately fled the scene without the defendant. Investigation revealed the defendant fired 15 shots at the victim as he was inside his vehicle.”

Hialeah Police Department arrest report, spaced into separate paragraphs for readability

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Apparently, none of the 15 shots hit the man.

Authorities arrested Meza-Faublack on the aforementioned armed robbery and attempted murder charges, as well as counts of felon in possession of a firearm, shooting or throwing a deadly missile and filing a false police report. She’s pictured in her Miami-Dade mugshot bearing a lower neck tattoo reading “Love.”

Jail records show she’s being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Thursday.

The Venezuelan national also has an immigration hold.

Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Miami, FL

Orlando 2-4 Miami (2 Mar, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN

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Orlando 2-4 Miami (2 Mar, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN


ORLANDO, Fla. — Lionel Messi scored twice in a four-goal second half, defender Telasco Segovia added a goal and two assists and defending champion Inter Miami CF rallied to beat Orlando City SC 4-2 on Sunday night, winning for the first time at Inter&Co Stadium.

Messi took a pass from Segovia and scored in the 57th minute to tie it 2-2, and Segovia scored unassisted in the 85th for the lead. Messi put the finishing touch on the victory when he scored off a free kick in the 90th.

“The victory belongs exclusively to the players,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. “In the second half, they were a championship team. There were no tactics, nothing like that. There was heart, courage, possession, resilience, commitment. I think the team came out because they were champions last year.

“In the end, the players showed it. This victory is theirs.”

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Messi’s first two goals of the season give him 52 in his first 55 regular-season MLS matches — 51 of them in his past 49 appearances. It also brought the reigning MLS MVP to 898 career goals scored, including 672 for Barcelona and 115 for Argentina.

“He’s the best player to ever play this sport. He’s a leader, and as a leader, he inspires others, but he also often needs to be inspired himself,” Mascherano said of Messi. “When he was driving forward, he had more attacking options, and with so many opportunities, he clearly has the ability to create chances like no one else, and that’s what allowed us to turn the game around.”

Marco Pašalić took a pass from Iván Angulo and scored in the 18th minute to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. Pašalić has scored in four straight matches against Inter Miami.

Inter Miami players celebrate after scoring a goal against Orlando City in MLS.

Defender Griffin Dorsey set up Martín Ojeda for a goal six minutes later for a 2-0 advantage that stood through halftime.

Inter Miami cut it to 2-1 four minutes into the second half on Mateo Silvetti’s first career goal. Defenders Segovia and Facundo Mura had assists as the 20-year-old forward found the net in his fifth career appearance.

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Segovia had eight goals and six assists as a rookie last season, while Mura collected his first assist in his first season.

Dayne St. Clair, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, turned away three shots — all in the second half of his second start with Inter Miami, but let in a soft goal for Orlando’s first.

Maxime Crépeau had four saves in his second start for Orlando City.

Teenager Colin Guske, 19, will miss Orlando City’s next match after the rookie picked up two yellow cards in his first start — the second one led to his exit in the 88th minute.

Inter Miami, which had never won in its previous nine trips to Orlando, was coming off a 3-0 road loss to LAFC.

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Orlando City swept Inter Miami during the regular season last year and leads the all-time series 8-7-4.

Inter Miami plays D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field. Orlando City is also on the road with a match against New York City FC.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.



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Miami, FL

Rain floods Miami Beach streets, cut short Miami Heat Family Festival

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Rain floods Miami Beach streets, cut short Miami Heat Family Festival


Rain floods Miami Beach streets, cut short Miami Heat Family Festival

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Much-needed rain fell across South Florida on Sunday, but the downpour quickly led to flooding and traffic headaches.

“The drainage systems aren’t the best but in ten minutes it will be gone,” one person said.

The rain lasted longer than 10 minutes, flooding several spots along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.

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In one neighborhood, at least a foot of water blocked the entrance. Drivers who attempted to pass through sent waves crashing onto nearby sidewalks.

The heavy rain also snarled traffic on parts of Interstate 95 and on the bridges to and from Miami Beach, slowing drivers trying to get around the area.

“It’s Miami for you. What do they call it, a sun shower?” one driver said.

The weather disrupted Sunday plans for many. The 26th annual Miami Heat Family Festival was cut short after strong winds swept through Dan Paul Plaza, knocking over several tents.

There is no word yet on how or when the Miami Heat plan to make up the family festival.

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Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

Brett Knese

Brett Knese joined the Local 10 News team as a general assignment reporter in March 2025.



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Miami, FL

Miami youth trace Bahamian roots in powerful Black History Month journey

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Miami youth trace Bahamian roots in powerful Black History Month journey


Jack and Jill of America’s Miami chapter closed out Black History Month with an inaugural “Roots Across Waters” trip to Nassau, where families explored ancestral sites, honored the Bahamian labor that helped build early Miami, and donated Afro‑Caribbean children’s books to local students.



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