A Florida rapper has been accused of a grisly ritual after authorities allegedly discovered an animal sacrifice chamber inside his home and a live baby goat they believe was at risk of being slaughtered.
Lazaro Lesteiro-Diaz, 26, a Miami rapper who performed under the names Drakula and YungLazz, was arrested Thursday following an investigation into an alleged bank ‘spoofing scheme’ he bragged about in his music, according to WSVN News.
The arrest came just hours after a search warrant at his home uncovered another disturbing discovery: a room investigators described as being ‘full of Cuban Santeria/Voodoo witchcraft.’
Just steps away, authorities found a live baby goat named Valor inside a cardboard box with orange paint circling its neck, allegedly marking where it was to be slaughtered.
Investigators also found two decapitated chickens behind the home.
‘Subsequently, FBI agents discovered a video of Lesteiro-Diaz holding two dead chickens dangling by their feet in his hand, which are consistent with the dead chickens located,’ the arrest report obtained by WPLG News said.
He was charged with five counts: possession of a controlled substance, money laundering, organized scheme to defraud, unlawful possession of identification and animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill.
The investigation was launched after authorities reviewed videos allegedly showing Lesteiro-Diaz promoting bank fraud while flaunting stacks of cash, firearms and the personal information of his alleged victims.
Lazaro Lesteiro-Diaz, 26, a Miami rapper who performed under the names Drakula and YungLazz, was arrested following an investigation into an alleged bank ‘spoofing scheme’
A search warrant at his home uncovered a room investigators described as being ‘full of Cuban Santeria/Voodoo witchcraft’
Authorities found a live baby goat inside a cardboard box with orange paint circling its neck, allegedly marking where it was to be slaughtered
Investigators also found two decapitated chickens behind the home and a video of him holding their dangling bodies in the air by their feet
Lesteiro-Diaz was charged with five counts, including animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill
Multiple videos recorded in June and July allegedly showed him explaining fraudulent bank spoofing and account takeover schemes by weaving them into his rap songs, according to the arrest report.
Among the lyrics investigators referenced was: ‘I called you from a Bank of America number…that means I’ma boof a plot.’
In plain English, according to detectives, ‘that means I’m going to take your money. I’m going to access your bank account, and you’re giving me your code.’
One livestream cited by investigators allegedly showed Lesteiro-Diaz flashing a Glock-style handgun with an extended magazine, stacks of cash, suspected promethazine and a laptop displaying victims’ personal information.
He also allegedly showed the camera the ‘purple drink’ while walking around his kitchen, which police identified as promethazine codeine cough syrup allegedly being used as an illegal drug, according to WPLG.
Authorities said last week, he posted a video ‘in the bathroom and flashing multiple debit/credit/gift cards while concealing a suspected firearm that has an extended magazine.’
Even the sink appeared to be part of the alleged stash, with investigators discovering a ‘wad’ of cash inside, according to the report.
The probe took a major step forward Thursday as investigators from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Miami Police Special Investigations Section and the FBI’s Violent Gang Task Force executed a search warrant.
Authorities reviewed videos in which Lesteiro-Diaz was allegedly promoting bank fraud while flaunting stacks of cash
Several photos show Lesteiro-Diaz showing off firearms
Authorities said last week, he posted a video ‘in the bathroom and flashing multiple debit/credit/gift cards
Multiple videos recorded in June and July allegedly showed him explaining fraudulent bank spoofing and account takeover schemes
He allegedly showed the camera a ‘purple drink’ while walking around his kitchen, which police identified as promethazine codeine cough syrup allegedly being used as an illegal drug
Authorities descended on his Miami-Dade home on Southwest 43rd Avenue, with a neighbor’s camera capturing dozens of law enforcement officers swarming the scene, according to the outlet.
Investigators seized several items during the raid, including a Glock 21 with an extended magazine, ammunition, multiple identification documents, suspected cannabis, a call center headset and cash.
A ‘Drakula’ diamond chain, a diamond-encrusted watch and baby bottles containing suspected ‘purple drank’ were also recovered during the search.
Other items potentially tied to the alleged fraud scheme were also recovered, though the nature of those items has not been revealed, according to authorities.
The search took a darker turn when investigators allegedly uncovered an animal sacrifice chamber inside Lesteiro-Diaz’s home, where a live goat was found nearby and marked up.
Police said the goat was immediately removed from the property and placed into the care of Miami Animal Rescue, according to the report obtained by the outlet.
For now, students at Felix Varela High School’s Veterinary Academy are caring for the goat, with one student saying the animal was ‘really scared’ when it first arrived.
‘When he got here, he was really scared. We got him in the stall with hay, water, and he ate some food,’ the unnamed student told WSVN.
A neighbor’s camera allegedly captured dozens of law enforcement officers swarming his home during the raid on Thursday
A ‘Drakula’ diamond chain, a diamond-encrusted watch and cash were all seized from Lesteiro-Diaz’s home
Investigators seized several items during the raid, including a Glock 21 with an extended magazine and ammunition
Police said the goat was immediately removed from the property and placed into the care of Miami Animal Rescue
Lesteiro-Diaz was taken into custody and allegedly admitted during an interview that the seized items belonged to him
The goat, now thankfully safe, will continue recovering at the school before being transferred to a horse farm in Ocala as rescuers search for its forever home.
Lesteiro-Diaz was taken into custody and allegedly admitted during an interview that the seized items belonged to him, telling police he bought the cough syrup to ‘cure his sickness.’
Authorities also said he confessed during questioning that he had previously attempted to ‘commit fraud,’ before invoking his right to remain silent.
He made his first court appearance on Friday. A judge declared: ‘You’ve been charged with five counts.’
The judge found probable cause and set his bond at $30,000 – $10,000 for the armed controlled substance charge and $5,000 for each of the remaining four charges, according to the outlet.
He is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
This was not Lesteiro-Diaz’s first brush with the law, as Thursday’s arrest added to his previous encounters with police.
In 2020, when he was 19 and living in Hialeah, he was arrested after police said he posted threatening messages about wanting to kill random people, including gay, black, Nicaraguan and Colombian individuals, WPLG reported at the time.
The goat will continue recovering at the school before being transferred to a horse farm in Ocala as rescuers search for its forever home
In 2020, when Lesteiro-Diaz was 19 and living in Hialeah, he was arrested after police said he posted threatening messages about wanting to kill random people
Lesteiro-Diaz allegedly threatened to kill gay, black, Nicaraguan and Colombian individuals
At the time, he allegedly wrote to X: ‘My brain looks like the brain of a serial killer psychopath. I feel no type of pity or emotion towards hurting someone… humans are mosquitoes in my eyes’
Court records show Lesteiro-Diaz received withheld adjudication later that year after being charged with written threats to kill
In one post on Twitter, now known as X, he allegedly wrote: ‘My brain looks like the brain of a serial killer psychopath. I feel no type of pity or emotion towards hurting someone… humans are mosquitoes in my eyes.’
Court records show Lesteiro-Diaz received withheld adjudication later that year after being charged with written threats to kill.
His probation in the case was terminated in 2022.
