FBI arrests Doral business owner in plot to kill Miami car designer to the stars

The FBI raided a Doral body shop on Friday morning and arrested the owner in connection to the investigation of the plot to kill Alex Vega, a famed Miami car designer to the stars.

Rolando “Roly” Ramirez, owner of Doral Collision, is the third person implicated so far in a 2019 murder-for-hire plot that the badly wounded Vega survived. Two men — the gunman and getaway driver — have already been convicted of carrying out the plot to kill Vega, who was shot as he pulled into his Kendale Lakes driveway in his black Range Rover.

One of Ramirez’s defense attorneys, Phil Reizenstein, told the Herald his client is innocent.

“Roly has known about this investigation for over two years,” he said. “We have told the government he is innocent and he will be vigorously fighting these charges.”

A grand jury on Friday charged Ramirez and a man named Rasheed “Fresh” Ali with solicitation to commit a crime of violence, stalking, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during a crime of violence, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder for hire and obstruction of justice. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Judge Lauren Louis ordered Ramirez held without bond during an afternoon hearing at the Miami federal courthouse. An arraignment and detention hearing is scheduled for next Friday.

Vega is the owner of The Auto Firm, a Kendall business that designs sports-car renovations for many celebrities, including Grammy-winning singer Marc Anthony. They have become good friends in recent years as Vega renovated several of the star’s cars. Vega was also featured in a 2017 reality TV series called “The Auto Firm with Alex Vega.”

Through his attorney, Hoss Hernandez, Vega declined to comment on the specifics of the raid Friday afternoon.

“On behalf of the Vega family and this office, we are extremely grateful to the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida for their dedication and hard work in this case,” Hernandez said. “At this time, we ask for everyone to respect that this is an ongoing case and there will be no comment or statements from the Vega family or this office.”

The man feds said shot Vega three times, 27-year-old Julian Jimenez, pleaded guilty to his part in the murder attempt and a judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison in November.

Federal Judge Roy Altman sentenced Jaime Serrano, 46, the man accused of arranging the shooting and the trip from New York to South Florida to carry it out, to 50 years in prison on Nov. 14.

The indictment states that Ramirez and Ali recruited Jimenez and Serrano to kill Vega.

The grand jury also indicted a man named Tamrat “Shifta” Mason with obstruction, alleging he misled police during their investigation into the shooting.

A jury determined Serrano was not the shooter, but played an important part in planning the operation — including buying the airline tickets from New York to Miami, renting cars in Florida, and obtaining the .40 caliber handgun that Jimenez used to shoot Vega.

Although he didn’t pull the trigger, Altman repeatedly referred to him as “the architect” of the plot to murder Vega during his sentencing hearing.

Altman also said Serrano was more “connected to the people who wanted Mr. Vega dead.” Neither Serrano nor Jimenez ever gave up who commissioned the hit on Vega.

Serrano is also in the music business, representing and marketing artists, according to court documents and his social-media page. Additionally, he grew up with Jimenez’s father, Marcos Jimenez, according to trial transcripts.

The FBI said Serrano and Julian Jimenez flew from New York to Miami on an American Airlines flight on Aug. 21, 2019, rented a blue Nissan Rogue and stalked Vega.

Six days later, in the early evening of Aug. 27, 2019, Serrano drove Jimenez in the Nissan to Vega’s Kendale Lakes home.

Jimenez, wearing a surgical mask and gloves and carrying a gun that Serrano gave to him after they had arrived in Miami, got out of the front passenger seat, approached Vega in his car and started shooting, according to a statement filed with Jimenez’s plea deal.

A witness told FBI agents that the men were offered $60,000 to carry out the hit, though that has never been confirmed, Jimenez’s attorney, federal public defender Abigail Becker, said at his sentencing.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Miami Herald Staff Writer Jay Weaver contributed to this report.

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