Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 1 of 19

UN ITED STATES DISTRICT CO UR T

SO UTH ER N DISTRICT OF FLOR ID A
CASE NO .
l:24-1nj-02460-Reid TS

Mar 7, 2024
IN 1kE SEA LED CO M PLM NT
/
Miami

CRIM INA L C O VER SH EET

D id this m atter originate from a matterpending in the N orthern Region ofthe United States
Attorney'sOfficepriortoAugust8,2014(M ag.JudgeShaniekM aynard)? No
D id this m atter originate from a m atter pending in the CentralRegion of the U nited States
Attorney'sOfficepriortoOctober3,2019(M ag.JudgeJaredStrauss)? No
3.D id this m atter involve the participation 9f or consultation w ith M agistrate Judge Eduardo 1.
Sanchez during histenure atthe United StatesAttorney's Office,w hich concluded on Janual'y
22,2023:7 N o

Respectfully subm itted,

M ARKENZY LAPOINTE
U NITED STA TES A TTORNEY

BY :
y ty
..
.
BRIAN D OBBIN S
AssistantUnited StatesA ttolmey
FederalBarN o.A 5501182
99N ortheast4thStreet
M iam i,FL.33132-2111
Tel:(305)961-92304
Brian.Dobbins@ usdoj.gov
 Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 2 of 19

AO91(Rev.08/09)Crimi
nalComplaint ,

U NITED STATES D ISTRICT C OURT

forthe
Southern DistrictofFlorida

United StatesofAmerica )
V. )
) CaseNo. 1:24-mj-02460-Reid
BAYRO N BENNETT, )
)
)

CRIM INAL COM PLAINT BY TELEPH ONE OR OTH ER RELIABLE ELECTRONIC M EANS

1,thecomplainantin thiscase,statethatthefollowing istrueto the bestofmy knowledge and belief.

Onoraboutthedatets)of July2,2022andthroughAugust3O,2023 inthecountyOf Miami-Dade inthe
southern Districtof Florida ,thedefendantts)violated:
CodeSection O.f/à?
7l:Descrlption
18U.S.C.jj844(1)and2 Arson/use ofFireto com m i ta felony'
,
18U.S.C.jj844(1)and2 Arson', -

18U.S.C.jj1952 and2 Use ofInterstate Facili

ties inAid ofRacketeering'
,and
18U.S.C.jj2261A(2)and2 Stalking.

Thiscriminalcom plaintisbased on these facts'

.
SEE ATTACHED AFFIDAV IT.

V Continuedontheat-
tachedsheet.

Complainant'
ssignature

Joseph Dalessio,SpecialAgent,FBI
Printed nameand title

AttestedtobytheApplicantinaccordancewiththerequirementsofFed.R.CIim.P.4.lby Face Tim e

Date: 03/07/2024
Judge'
ssignatttre

City andstate: Miami,Florida Hon.Lisette M . Reid,United StatesM agistrateJudge

Printed nameandtitle
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 3 of 19

AFFIDAW T

1,Joseph Dalessio,being firstduly sw orn,hereby depose and state asfollow s:

INTRUDUCTION AND AGENT BACKGROUND

1am a SpecialA gentw ith the FederalBureau oflnvestigation and have been since

January 2019. 1am presently a member ofthe FB1M iamiField Division ViolentCrim esand

Fugitive Task Force.M y duties and responsibilities include conducting crim inalinvestigationsof

individuals and entities forpossible violations of federallaws,particularly those law s found in

Title 18 ofthe United StatesCode. 1havepreviously participated in investigationswhich resulted

in the arrests,searches,and seizuresofindividualsand property. ln the course ofm y careerw ith

the FBI, 1 have participated in the use of cooperating inform ants, undercover agents, pen

register/trap and trace devices, video surveillance, w iretaps, GPS tracking devices, search

warrants,and audio surveillance,am ong other1aw enforcem enttechniques. Based on m y training

and experience,I am fam iliarw ith m ethodsused by the crim inalelem entto further a variety of

crim inalactivities.

2. 1 subm it this Affidavit in support of a crim inal com plaint charging Bayron

BEN NETT w ith the use offire to com m ita felony,in violation ofTitle 18,United States Code,

Sections844(h)and2'
,arson,inviolationofTitle18,UnitedStatesCode,Sections844(1)and2,
'
andthe useofan interstatefacility in aid ofracketeering enterprises,in violation ofTitle 18,U nited

States Code, Sections 1952 and 2,

'and stalking, in violation of Title 18,U nited States Code,

Sections2261A(2)and2.Based upon theevidencedescribed below,1submitthatBENNETT

com m itted these crim es along w ith M ichaelDULFO ,Jerren H OW ARD ,and EdnerETIEN NE,

whowerechargedinapreviouscomplaint,underCaseNumber24-mj-02454-1V 117.
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 4 of 19

ThisAffidavitisbased upon m y personalknow ledge,m y review ofdocum entsand

other evidence, and m y conversations w ith other law enforcem ent personnel and civilian
ï

witnesses. Because this Affidavit is being subm itted for the lim ited purpose of establishing

probable cause, it does not include a11 the facts that 1 have learned during the course of m y

ilw estigation.Rather,1haveincluded only thefactsthataresufficientto establish probable cause.

W here the contents of documents and the actions,statem ents,and conversations of others are

reported herein,they are reported in substance and in pal't,exceptwhere otherw ise indicated.

PR O BA BLE CAU SE

The H itandR un

4. On or about August 30, 2023, law enforcem ent responded to the address of

VICTIM 1inM iami-DadeCounty (hereinafterQIVICTIM l'sRESD ENCE''),forahitandrun

incident in w hich a Hom e Depotflatbed-style pick-up truck ram m ed into the side of a vehicle

operated by V ICTIM 1.Itwasreported thataftertheincidentoccurred,thetruck and operatorfled

the scene. The incidentw as captured on VICTIM 1's hom e video surveillance system . Law

enforcem entviewed the video ofthe incident,w hich revealed thatthe Hom e D epottruck arrived

in frontofVICTIM 1'sRESIDEN CE atapproxim ately 4:10 PM ,before m oving a shol'ttim e later

to park closerto the drivew ay ofVICTIM 1's RESID EN CE,forno apparentreason.A sV ICTIM

l'svehicle pulled into the driveway ofV ICTIM 1'sRESID EN CE atapproxim ately 4:12 PM ,the

Hom e Depottruck w asputinto reverse,circling around from behind V ICTIM 1'svehicle into the

frontyard atan increasing rate ofspeed to strike the passenger side ofVICTIM 1's vehicle with

the flatbed area ofthe truck.TheH om eD epottruck then drove aw ay. ltappeared from the video

thattheH om e Depottruck did nothavea licenseplate affixed tothe rearofthetruck.Based upon

Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 5 of 19

the circum stances,including the increasing rateofspeed and the route the H om e D epottruck took

while reversing,itw asapparentthatthisw asan intentionalactand notan accidentalcollision.

A subsequent investigation into the hit and run incidentrevealed thatthe Hom e

Depottruck thatw asused was rented on oraboutA ugust30,2023,from the H om e D epotlocated

in the CoconutGrove area ofM iam i,and later repol-ted stolen on or about Septem ber 4,2023.

Law Enforcem ent spoke w ith H om e D epot personnel who provided a receipt for the vehicle

transaction,which wasa Hom eD epottlatbed truck w ith FloridaLicensePlateN um ber6IBM VM .

The rentalpapenvork revealed thatHome Depottruck was rented by an pncharged individual

(hereinafter,CCSUBJECT 1'')atapproximately 10:20AM onAugust30,2023.Anemployeeof

H om e D epotinform ed 1aw enforcem entthatSU B-
TECT 1 m ay have been associated w ith another

individual,lateridentified asEdnerETIEN NE,w earing a dark-colored t-shil'tw ith a w hite,long-

sleeve undershil'
tand dark pants.

6. Law enforcement review ed video surveillance footage from the H om e Depot in

Coconut Grove forA ugust 30,2023. At approxim ately 10:12 AM ,SU BJECT 1 pulled into a

parking space operating a gray Tesla sedan. A dark-colored Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck,

later identified as registered to M ichaelDU LFO as described in m ore detailbelow ,then arrived

and parked in a spotto the rear of the Tesla. SU BJECT 1then exited the Tesla and entered the

store. Approxim ately three m inuteslater,an individtlalw earing a dark-colored shirtw ith a white,

long-sleeve undershirtand dark pantsexited from the passenger side ofDU LFO 'S Silverado and

enteredthe store.A com parison ofETIEI

NN E'Sphotographsand the im ages from thesurveillance

video confirm ed thatETIEN NE closely resem bled the individualwearing the dark-colored shirt

w ith thew hite,long-sleeve undershirt.

Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 6 of 19

The H om e Depotsurveillance footage also show ed SUB JECT 1 walking tow ards

the area oftheH om e Depotparking lotwheretherentaltrucksare kept.SU BJECT 1then walked

back tow ards the frontentrance of the store and then re-entered the store,before exiting a shol'
t

tim e later. SUBJECT 1then approached thepassengerside ofD ULFO 'S Silverado and appeared

to betalkingto som eoneinside theSilverado.Atthesam etim e,ETIENN E exitedtheHom e Depot

and entered the Silverado. SUBJECT 1 then returned to the Tesla and drove off. DULFO 'S

Silverado then drove overtowardsthe area oftheparking lotwhere the rentaltrucksw ere located

where itisobstructed from security cam eraview ,and then an individual,who cannotbe identified

because of video quality, walked from that area to a Hom e D epot truck. A shorttim e later,

D ULFO 'S Silverado drove away, follow ed by a H om e Depot flatbed truck. The w alking

unidentified individualisnotseen leaving thatarea oftheH om e Depotparking lot.

8. Law enforcem ent canvassed the area around VICTIM 1's RESIDEN CE for

additionalsurveillance footage. Law enforcem entw as able to discoveradditionalvideo cam eras

thatpointed towardsthe streetwhere V ICTIM 1's RESIDEN CE w aslocated. Thatvideo footage

show ed the H om e Depottruck driving tow ards V ICTIM 1's RESIDEN CE,and the driver ofthe

H om e Depottruck w as observed to be w earing clothing sim ilar in style and color,specifically a

dark-colored shirtwith a white,long-sleeve undershirt,to the clothing ETIENN E w as wearing at

the H om e D epotin CoconutGrove earlierthatday.

Law EnforcementthenconductedLicensePlateReader(LPR)databasechecksof
the H om e Depottruck,bearing Florida License Plate N um ber6IBM VM ,in order to attem ptto

ascertain itslastknown location.A LPR check revealed thatthe Hom e Depottruck wasobserved

on oraboutSeptember4,2023,atapproximately 2:27 AM in the area of9302 NW 2ndPlace,

M iam i,Florida. On oraboutFriday,Septem ber8,2023,law enforcem entresponded to the area

Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 7 of 19

of 9302 N W 2nd Place and observed a H om e D epot flatbed style truck that appeared to be

abandoned on the side ofthe road. Law enforcem entnoted ithad m arks and dam age on the rear

portion of the vehicle thatw as consistentw ith the point of im pact observed on video in w hich

V ICTIM 1's vehicle was struck on or aboutAugust30,2023 in Pinecrest.l ETIEN NE'S listed

addressintheFloridaDriverandVehicleInforluationDatabase(IIDAVID'')isonNW 93rdstreet,
approxim ately 0.7 m iles from where the Hom e Depottruck wasrecoveredz.

IdentTcation OJ'DULFO'SSilverado
10. D ue to the tim ing ofthe ram m ing occurring asVICTIM l was arriving hom e,1aw

enforcementconducted aLicensePlateReader(LPR)query oftheregistrationofVICTIM 1's

vehicle. The query revealed that on or aboutA ugust 30,2023,atapproxim ately 3:50:26 PM ,

V ICTIM 1's vehicle w as observed traveling south on South D ixie H ighway, in the area of 5th

Street.This location wasconsistentw ith the route thatV ICTIM 1provided to Law Enforcem ent

as the route she utilized to travel to VICTIM l's RESID EN CE from an appointm ent. A t

approxiluately 3:50:29 PM ,Law Enforcem entnoted a dark-colored ChevroletSilverado,bearing

FloridaLicensePlateN um berC75UP,traveling inthearea behindV ICTIM 1'svehicle.A Florida

D AV ID query revealed thatthe Silverado w ith that license plate num ber was a 2014 Chevrolet

1Law EnforcementrecoveredtheHomeDepottruckwithstoreassigned numbersaffixedto thefronileftand right

hood area. Itappearsfrom surveillance video from VICTIM l'ssurveillance video and from the neighbors'video
footagethatthesenum bersarenotpresentorcannotbe observed dueto video quality.

2Law Enforcem entobtained GPS dataassociated to therecovered Hom eDepottruck. According to Hom eDepotthe
GPS only collectsdatawhenthetruck isshutoff. TheGPS doesnotplacethetruck atW CTIM 1>sRESIDENCE,
howeverthe truck was located at231 SE 1StPlace,M iami,atapproximately 10:54 AM for2 hours and 3 m inutes.
Thislocation isapproxim ately 0.6 driving m ilesfrom the location ofVICTIM 1'sappointment.
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 8 of 19

Silverado,listed asbrown in colorand registered to DU LFO.3 TheFloridaLicensePlate thatw as

assignedtothevehiclew asa black Florida specialty University ofCentralFloridaplate w ith w hite-

colored lettering.

The Silverado observed in the Hom e D epotparking loton August30,2023,had a

cover on the flatbed area of the truck,a trailer hitch, and a black license plate that had w hite

lettering,w ith the firstletterEGC.'' Law enforcem entconducted surveillance atDU LFO'S listed

residence in D AVID on Septem ber14,2023,and observed D ULFO 'S trucktohaveatlatbed cover

and trailerhitch,in addition to the black University of CentralFlorida license plate with w hite

lettering. On m ultiple occasions since Septem ber l4,2023,law enforcem ent surveillance has

observed DU LFO operating the Silverado.

TheArsons

Since July of2022,severallaw enforcem entagencies have been assisting in the

investigation oftw o separate vehicle arsonsofVICTIM 1's sister,hereinafter,CGV ICTIM 2.''The

arsons occurred at VICTIM 2's Residence in M iam i-Dade County, hereinafter CCV ICTIM 2's

RESIDEN CE,''on or about July 2,2022,and on or aboutAugust l2,2023. A s a resultofthe

arsons,personalproperty,includingbutnotlimitedto,threevehicles,po/ionts)oftheresidence
located atVICTIM 2'sRESIDEN CE,and othereffectswere dam aged ordestroyed.

13. On or about July 2,2022,hom e video surveillance footage from V ICTIM 2's

RESIDENCE showedthatatapproximately3:26AM,asubjectwearingahoodedsweatshirtand
shorts,hereinafter,CISUBJECT 2,,,w alked from westto east,tow ardsthe area ofone of VICTIM
.

3Law EnforcementobseN edastickeronthetopleftportionoftherearw indow oftheSU BJECT SILVEI RADO .This

stickerwasnotpreviously observed on any surveillancefootage,noron oraboutthe Septem ber14,2023,surveillance
thatwasconducted atDULFO'S registered address.
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 9 of 19

2'svehicles,a 2019 D odge Ram . A sho14 tim e later,atapproxim ately 3:27 A M ,a brightorange

flash can beseen on the video,and SUBJECT 2 then rantowardsanothervelzicle,a 2019 Chevrolet

Tahoe,that is parked on the west side of the drivew ay of VICTIM 2's RESIDEN CE. ln an

interview of VICTIM 2's husband,VICTIM 2's husband stated thatthe Ram w as utilized as a

vehicle inpal'
tforsalesofa building m aterialscompany engaged in interstatecom m erce.VICTIM

2 also worked from hom e at VICTIM 2's RESIDEN CE. V ICTIM 2 also utilized the Tahoe to

travelto and from herwork ata telecom company thatisengaged in interstate comm erce.

SUBJECT 2 then poured a liquid from a red colored container on the hood ofthe

Tahoe.SUBJECT2thenappearedtolightsomethingonfireandplacethe1itobjed nearthehood
and w indshield area ofthe Tahoe. A flash offire was seen,and the Tahoe becam e engulfed in

tlam es. Due to the angle of the surveillance video, it is unclear w hich direction SUBJECT 2

departed after the Tahoe becam e engulfed. City of M iam iFire and Police Depatments then

responded to the scene and began an investigation into the circum stancessurrounding the fires.

l5. On oraboutA ugust 12,2023,V ICTIM 2'sRESID EN CE wasthe scene ofanother

vehicle arson. Atapproxim ately 3:34 A M ,hom evideo stlrveillancefootage from the VICTIM 2's

RESIDENCE showed asubject,hereinafter(ISUBJECT 3,''walking from thewesttowardsthe

eastinfrontofVICTIM 2'sRESIDENCE.SUBJECT 3appearedtobecanyinganobjectthatis
by SUBJECT 3'ssidewhile walking west,outofview ofthe camera angle. The objectis
consistentw ith a gas container.

Atapproxim ately 3:34 AM ,video from a differenthom evideo sulweillancefootage

angle from VICTIM 2's RESIDEN CE showed one of the vehicles engulfed in tlam es,a 2019

ChevroletSilverado,and an individualm atching the description ofSUBJECT 3. ltappeared from

the video that SUBJECT 3 becam e partially engulfed in flam es and ran aw ay from the burning
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 10 of 19

Silverado, fleeing w estbound from V ICTIM 2's R ESIDEN CE. Other video footage from a

neighboring residenceshow san individualm atching thatdescription ofSU BJECT 3 tleeing north

a shorttim e later,stillcarrying a containeratapproxim ately 3:35 AM .

City of M iam iPolice and Fire D epal4m ent personnelwere again dispatched to

VICTIM 2's RESIDEN CE. A neighborhood canvas w as conducted by C ity of M iam iPolice

Detectives for m ore video pertaining to the incident. A review of video surveillance footage

located in the vicinity ofVICTIM 2'sRESIDEN CE,from on oraboutA ugust 12,2023,captured

a dark-color Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck,sim ilar in appearance to D ULFO 'S Silverado,

operating in the area ofV ICTIM 2'sRESIDEN CE. ThisSilverado w as dbserved on video in the

areapriorto the arson atapproxim ately 3:15 AM ,3:24 AM ,and 3:25 AM . ltshould be noted that

according to residentialvideo surveillance,the arson occurred atapproxim ately 3:34 A M .

Idente ing CellphonesusedbyDULFO aIIdHOWAR.D

18. FBlM iamihasaConfidentialHumanSource(CHS)thathaspreviouslyreported
inform ation pel-taining to DU LFO and another individualnam ed Jerren H OW ARD,to include

inform ation regarding theircellphone num bers. The CH S hasbeen proven to be a reliable source

of inform ation in the past. The CH S identified a phone num ber ending in 9404,hereinafter,

CSD ULFO 'S 9404 PH ON E,''as a phone num berthatD ULFO used. The CH S also identified a

phone num berending in 1029,hereinafter,GIHOW A RD 'S 1029 PH ON E,''asa phone num berthat

H OW A RD used. Records obtained from Venm o,a cash transfer application,revealed thatthe

DULFO 9404PHONE wasaphonenumberassosiatedwithDULFO'Saccount.A searchofpublic

databases revealed thatthe H OW A RD 1029 PH ON E w as associated w ith H OW ARD,w ith the

correctdate ofbil'
th and socialsecurity num berasHO W A RD .Throughoutthe investigation,Law

Enforcem ent obtained inform ation to include the review of cellphone com m unication records,
8
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 11 of 19

financialtransactions, and confidential hum an source inform ation, which provided sufficient

evidence thatimplicated HOW ARD ,in atleastsom e ofthe above listed crim inalactivity.

HistoricalLocationInformation
On oraboutOctober20,2023,a historicalcellsite location search w arrantforthe

DU LFO 9404 PH ON E w as granted by the H onorable U nited States M agistrate Judge Eduardo

Sanchez.On oraboutN ovem ber9,2023,ahistoricaland prospective datecellsitelocation search

warrantfor the phone num ber associated forthe H OW A RD l029 PH ON E,was granted by the

HonorableUnited StatesM agistkate JudgeA licia M .Otazo-lkeyes.

Upon receiving the data from the telephone providers for the telephone num bers

and respective devices associated to D ULFO and H OW A RD, Law Enforcem ent utilized the

assistanceofFB1CellularAnalysisSurveyTeam (CAST).
A prelim inary CA ST reportindicated thattheD ULFO 9404 PH ON E utilized cell

phone towerts) in the vicinity of VICTIM 2's RESIDENCE on or about July 2,2022,at
approxim ately 3:20 A M ,and 3:29 AM . The CA ST reportalso indicated thattheH O W A RD l029

PHONE was in the generalvicinity of V ICTIM 2's RESIDEN CE at approximately 3:12 AM ,

utilizing atow erthatwasapproxim ately one quaderm ileform VICTIM 2'sRESIDEN CE atthat

tim e.The tim eofthe arson was atapproxim ately 3:27A M .

22. A prelim inary CA ST reportindicated thattheD ULFO 9404 PH ON E utilized a cell

tower in thevicinity ofVICTIM 2'sRESIDEN CE on oraboutAugust12,2023,atapproxim ately

3:26 A M . The tim e ofthe arson was atapproxim ately 3:34 AM .

23. A prelim inary CA ST report indicated that the DU LFO 9404 PHON E and the

HOW ARD 1029PHONE both utilized celltowerts)in thevicinity ofthe CoconutGrove Home
D epot on orabout August30,2023,around the tim e thatthe H om e D epottruck w as rented by
7
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 12 of 19

SU BJECT 1. Specifically,the DULFO 9404 PH ONE utilized atowerin the vicinity ofthe H om e

Depot at approxilnately l0:40 AM ,and the H OW ARD 1029 PH ON E utilized a tow er in the

vicinity oftheH om eD epotseveraltim esbetw een 10:14 AM and 10:38 AM .

24. The DULFO 9404 PH O'

N E utilized a cellphonetow erin the vicinity ofthe hitand

run location atVICTIM 1'sRESIDEN CE,around the approxim atetim ethe hitand run took place.

The CA ST analysisdid nothavem appable data to supportthe location ofthe device associated to

the HOW ARD 1029 PH ON E during the approxim ate tim e ofthe hitand run incidentatVICTIM

1's RESD EN CE on oraboutA ugust30,2023.

TOLL M ct?# llANAL YSIS

25. Law Enforcem entobtained phone records,including butnotlim ited to subscriber

inform ation and calldetailrecords,forETIENN E,theD ULFO 9404 PHON E,and theH O W A RD

1029 PH ON E. A review ofthe tollrecordsforthe H OW ARD 1029 PH ON E on oraboutJuly 2,

2022,the m orning ofthe firstarson,revealed thatatapproxim ately 1:32 AM ,l:53 AM ,and 2:06

A M ,there w ere three different com m unications between the H OW ARD 1029 PHON E and the

DU LFO 9404 PHON E.

26. A review ofthe tollrecords forthe HO W A RD 1029 PHON E,on or aboutA ugust

12, 2023, the m orning of the second arson at VICTIM 2's RESID EN CE, revealed that at

approxim ately 12:10AM ,12:27 A M ,and at5:13 AM ,there w ere three differentcom m unications

between the H OW ARD 1029 PH ONE and the DULFO 9404 PH ONE.

27. A futherreview ofthe tollrecords on oraboutA ugust30,2023,revealed thatthe

HOW ARD 1029 PHONE communicated a totalofapproximately forty-eight(48)tim eswith a

phonenum berending in 7908,believed to beassociatedw ith ETIEN NE.Law enforcem entreview

ofpublic source databases revealed thatthe 7908 phone num berwas associated w ith ETIEN NE,
10
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 13 of 19

and Text N ow subscriber inform ation cam e back to a (dlfing Etienne,'' and a uselmam e of

GtEtiennelfingss.'' The H OW ARD 1029 PHON E and the 7908 phone num ber believed to be

associatedto ETIENNE exchanged approximately twenty-six (26)callsand approximately ten

(10)textmessagesbetweenapproxil
uately 10:26 AM and 4:42 PM on Augtlst30,2023,which
includes an approxim ate l7-m inute callat 4:42 PM . Based upon analysis conducted by Law

Enforcem ent,the 7908 phone num berbelieved to be associated to ETIEN NE firstcom m unicated

w ith the HOW A RD 1029 PH ON E on oraboutFebruary 21,2023,butthe com l

n unicationsthat

occurredonoraboutAugust30,2023,accountforapproximatelytwenty-seven(27%)percentof
the totalcom m unicationsbetween the two num berssince February 21,2023.

Identscation ofBennettand/,/.
çCellphone
28. ln an interview w ith V ICTIM 1,law enforcem entlearned thatBEN NETT w orked,

orm ay stillbe working,ashired help forV ICTIM 1'sestranged husband.The natureofthisw ork,

according to VICTIM 1,w asthatBEN NETT would help w ith food and beverage service when

V ICTIM 1 and herestranged husband w ould utilizetheiryacht.

29. Based upon com m unications and tollrecords,asdescribed below,law enforcem ent

beganlookingatcommunicationsbetweenDULFO andcellphonenumber(305)216-2827.Law
enforcem entobtained recordsfrom T-M obile U .S.,lnc.,the service provider forthatphone,and

learned thatBENNETT isthelisted subscriberfor(305)216-2827 (hereinafter,ICBEI

NNETT'S
2827PHONE'').
Phone Calls and TollA nalysis between D ULFO and the BENN E TT 2827PH 0NE

30. A review ofthe tollrecordsforthe BEN N ETT 2827 PHON E,pursuantto a grand

jury subpoena,revealed a number ofcontacts between the DULFO 9404 PHONE and the
BEN NETT 2827 PH ON E during significantdatesin the investigation. A review ofthe tolldata
11
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 14 of 19

forthe BENNETT 2827 PHONE revealed atotalofeleven (11)callswith the DULFO 9404
PHON E between on oraboutA ugust 11,2023,atapproximately 1:41 PM ,and A ugust12,2023,

atapproxim ately 8:16 PM . There wasalso a single textm essagé on oraboutA ugust12,2023,at

approxim ately 10:57 AM .ltshould benoted thatthe second arson occurred atapproxim ately 3:34

AM .

A review ofthe tolldata forthe BEN NETT 2827 PH O'

N E revealed one callw ith

the DULFO 9404 PHON E on oraboutA ugust30,2023,atapproxim ately 5:24 PM ,thedate ofthe

hitand run incident. lt should be noted thatthe hit and run incidentoccurred at approxim ately

4:12 PM .

32. Law Enforcem entalso observed Facetim ecallsthatoccurred on oraboutthe dates

ofthe second arson and the hitand run incident.4 Forexam ple, on oraboutA ugust 11,2023,the

evening before the second arson,the BEN NETT 2827 PH O'

N E and D ULFO had a Facetim e call

at approxim ately 3:49 PM . O n or about August 12, 2023, at approxim ately 12:10 PM , the

BEN NETT 2827 PHON E and DULFO had a Facetim e call. There w as also a Facetim e call

between the tw o telephone num bers on the sam e date at approxim ately 10:45 PM . Law

Enforcem entdid notobserve any Facetime calls on oraboutAugust30,2023,the date ofthe hit

and run incident. However,Law Enforcem ent observed Facetim e calls betw een the BEN N ETT

2827 PHONE and DULFO atapproxim ately 12:10 PM ,12:12 PM ,12:18 PM ,3:58 PM ,4:11PM ,

4:55 PM ,and 5:08 PM ,on August31,2023.

4From whatLaw Enforcem entcan see.thusfarin the icloud return,theDULFO ICLOUD voice and video calllog
only goesback to on oraboutApril10,2023.

12
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 15 of 19

Search W arranton D ULF O 'S icloudA ccountsRevealCom m unications with BENNE TT

33. On or aboutN ovember 22,2023,the Honorable Lisette M .Reid,U nited States

M agistrate Judge forthe Southern D istrictofFlorida,granted a search warrantfor Apple icloud

accounts associated w ith D ULFO .

34. The DU LFO icloud search w arrant return also included several other item s of

evidentiary value that suggest that D ULFO w as stalking V ICTIM For exam ple, law

enforcem entrecovered a picture ofapiece ofpaperw ith the addressofV ICTIM 1'sRESID EN CE

written on it. Law enforcem entisunable to determ ine ifthepicturew astaken by a device utilized

by D ULFO orifitw assentto him by som eone else. The date ofcreation listed forthe picture is

December28,2022,which is approxim ately eightm onths before the hitand run atVICTIM 1's

RESIDEN CE.

35. Law enforcem entalso recovered whatappeared to be a Google M apspicture ofa

streetview ofVICTN 1'sRESIDEN CE.The lastm odified date ofthispicture islisted asA ugust

22,2023. Law enforcem ent is unable to determ ine ifthe picture w as sent to D ULFO or if it

originated on a device utilized by DULFO.

36. Law Enforcem entalso observed com m unications in the form of video calls,text

m essages,and voice callsbetween the BEN NETT 2827 PH O'

N E and DULFO .5

37. Law Enforcem entobserved anotherphotograph ofinterest,which isapicture ofthe

rearend of a dark blue BM W ,to include the license plate. A query in the Florida Driver and

5The earliestcom munication to date thatLaw Enforcementhasobserved between DUFLO and the 2827 num beris
on oraboutJuly 26,2022.ltappearsthatDULFO and BENNETT m ay converseaboutotherm attersthan the crim inal
activity thatwillbe laid outahead. Atone point,DULFO and BEN NETT may have lived in the sam e apartment
complex in M iam iand may bewherethey know each otherfrom .

13
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 16 of 19

VehiclelnfonmationDatabase(DAVID)revealedthevehiclebelongedtotheestrangedhusband
of V ICTIM 1 at the tim e. The created date and tim e of the photograph is July 26,2022, at

approxim ately 4:51PM . The lastm odified date ofthephotograph is listed asA ugust 1,2022,at

6:29 A M .Law Enforcem entagain isunableto determ ine ifthe photograph wastaken by adevice

used by DULFO,or if the photograph w as sentto DULFO by som eone else. H ow ever,Law

Enforcem entdiscovered a textm essage string on DULFO 'Sicloud thatLaw Enforcem entbelieves

isrelated to thisphotograph.

ln the DULFO icloud,Law Enforcem ent discovered a conversation on or about

August1,2022,between theBEN NETT 2827 PHON E and DU LFO. Atapproxim ately 1:29 PM ,

a photograph is sentfrom the BEN NE'FT 2827 PH ON E,follow ed by the textm essages,((Es un

bmw ,''w hich means Gtthis isthe BM W ,''atapproxim ately 1:29 PM ,and (tazul,''which is Spanish

for,&&blue,''atapproxim ately 1:29 PM . Law Enforcem entisunable to see the photograph in the

textstring,but Law Enforcem entbelieves this m ay be due to the factthat the messages were

deleted on oraboutAugust30,2023,atapproxim ately 4:53 PM ,the sam e date and approxim ately

forty-one(41)minutesafterthehitandrunincidentoccurredattheresidenceofVICTIM 1.Law
Enforcem entalso believesthe lack ofphotograph in thetextstring could berelated totheextraction

thatwasperform ed to retrievethe D ULFO ICLOU D .

39. Law Enforcem ent also discovered othertext m essages of interest in the D ULFO

icloud between the BEN NETT 2827 PH ON E and DU LFO. Law Enforcem ent observed a

W hatsApp conversation betw een the BEN NETT 2827 PHONE and DULFO that started on or

aboutA ugust l2,2023,at11:38 A M . The BEN NETT 2827 PH ON E called DU LFO,and then at

approxim ately 11:40 AM ,the BEN NETT 2827 PH OINE sent a text m essage that said, Ef-
l-odo

bien?'' The m essage translates to roughly,(W 1lgood?'' The m essage is not responded to on
14
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 17 of 19

W hatsApp by D UFLO. Law Enforcem ent took interest in the date of the creation of the

conversation in W hatsApp and the date ofthe conversation because itwas the sam e day ofthe

second arson w ascom m itted atthe residence ofVICTIM 2.

40. A nother conversation thatLaw Enforcem ent discovered w as on or aboutAugust

30,2023,atapproxim ately 7:40 AM ,the day ofthe hit and run incidenton V ICTIM 1. A tthat

tim e,DU LFO senta m essage to the BEN NETT 2827 PH ON E stating,(tllam am e,''which roughly

translates to Gtcall m e.'' A t approxim ately 8:27 A M ,D ULFO then sends a m essage to the

BENNETT 2827PHONE stating,Cçmichaeldulfolzo6@ gmail.com.'' Law Enforcementbelieves

thatthisw asDULFO sending hisem ailto BEN NETT,so thatDULFO could receive m oney via a

peer-to-peerapplication. Law Enforcem entbelievesthisbecause ithasseen sim ilarpeer-to-peer

financialtransactions occur between D ULFO and other co-conspirators, such as H OW A RD ,

around the approxim ate dates and tim es of atleastofone the arsonsand around the approxim ate

date and tim e ofthe hitand run incident.

On or about August 30,2023,at approxim ately 2:28 PM ,the BET

N NETT 2827

PHON E sentDULFO theaddressof(12552 S leJeuneRd M iam i,FL 33134 EstadosUnidos.''Law

Enforcem ent was draw n to this text because itw as lessthan two hours prior to the hitand run

incident that took place at V ICTIM 1's residence at approxim ately 4:12 PM . The next text

m essage in the conversation w as on or aboutA ugust31,2023,atapproxim ately 2:28 PM ,when

DU LFO sent the BEN NETT 2827 PH ON E a m essage that stated, (t-l-odo estas bien,''w hich

roughly translatesto asking ifeverything is good w ith you. The BEN NETT 2827 PH ON E then

replied at2:52 PM ,Ccya te llam o,''which roughly translates to (E1'llcallyou,''or 17:11callyou

back.'' Law Enforcem ent believes thatthere is probable cause to believe these m essages were

related to the hitand run incidentthathad occurred on A ugust30,2023.

Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 18 of 19

BENNETT'SstatementtoLawEnforcementonAfflz'c/,7,2024
42. On M arch 7,2024,BEN NE'
I'
T w as approached by Law Enforcem entto see if he

would answ erquestionsabouttheevidencethathad been recovered.BENN ETT agreed to answer

questions,and BEN NETT was told thathe w as notunderarrest.Law Enforcem ent's interaction

wasrecorded.

BEN NETT proceeded to tell 1aw enforcement that he w as asked to seek out

individualsto com m itarsonsand a hit-and-run againstV ICTIM 1.BEN NETT identified D ULFO

as the person he solicited to com m it the arsons and hit-and-run.BEN NET further told Law

Enforcem enthe had known DULFO foran extended period oftim e.

RemainderofpageIntentionallyfc' Blank

16
Case 1:24-mj-02460-LMR Document 3 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/08/2024 Page 19 of 19

CO N CLU SION

44. Based upon the above-described evidence, your Affiant subm its that there is

probable cause to believe thatBEN N ETT com m itted the crim es ofthe use of fire to com m ita

felony,inviolationofTitle18,United StatesCode,Sections8441)and2;arson,inviolation of
Title 18,United StatesCode,Sections 844(1)and 7;the use ofinterstate facilitiesin aid of
racketeering enterprises,in violation ofTitle l8,United States Code,Sections 1952 and 2'
,and

stalking,in violation ofTitle 18,United States Code,Sections 2261A42)and 2;along with

D ULFO,HOW A RD ,and ETIEN NE.

FU RTH ER A FFIAN T SAYETH N AU GH T.

JO SEPH D ALESSIO
SPECIA L A GEN T
FEDERAL BUREAU OF W VESTIGATION

Atested to by the applicantin accordancew ith the requirem entsofFed.R .Crim .P.4.1
by FaceTimethis74.13day ofM arch 2024.
.

H ON ORABLE LISETTE M .REID

UNITED STATES M A GISTRATE JUD GE