A man who wanted to rent a $13,000-a-month penthouse in a Sunny Isles Beach high-rise has been convicted in federal court of trying to hide a criminal past and fake his way through the building’s approval process.
Alfred Lenoris Davis, 50, was convicted by a federal grand jury in Miami of using a counterfeit device to lie on a lease for a Sunny Isles Beach penthouse, according to the U.S. attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida. His application misled the board to believe that Davis’ mother would be renting the penthouse, and he provided a fake license with her photo.
The motive? Federal lawyers argued Davis intended to hide his criminal history. Davis was convicted of bank fraud in 2004.
Davis’ attorney, Zeljka Bozanic, did not respond to multiple requests for comment by email.
Davis got away with the misleading application and license for nearly a year. He signed the lease in April 2023 and had access to all of the condo amenities and to his 3,088-square-foot apartment, nestled in one of Miami-Dade County’s priciest neighborhoods — Sunny Isles Beach.
The area stretches between Surfside and Golden Beach and sits close to Aventura on the mainland. Sunny Isles Beach has some of the priciest high-rise sales and rents due to demand from deep-pocketed residents in the towers and branded residences lining the beachfront.
Sitting on top of the 20-story 400 Sunny Isles Residences at 500 Sunny Isles Blvd., the condo in question rented for $13,000 a month. The 3,088-square-foot residence came with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a powder room and a sliver of the rooftop with a patch of artificial grass and Jacuzzi overlooking the water.
In February, FBI Miami agents wrapped up a nearly yearlong investigation. Davis was indicted for lying on the lease agreement application with the help of a counterfeit device and hiding his criminal background.
In July, Davis returns to Miami federal court for a sentencing hearing with U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez. He faces up to a decade in jail.
