Tinder, Romance And Politics: Was Florida Official Targeted?

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Four days before the 35-year-old Frankfurt tourist with strawberry blonde hair walked into Miami Beach police headquarters and accused a sitting commissioner of groping her on a Friday night Tinder date, Lena Schell told North Miami Beach police that another man she met on the dating app “grabbed her by the arm and yelled at her to leave” his home.

Neither case resulted in charges against the two men involved, including Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola. But the two incidents now serve as a cautionary tale about Tinder, romance and politics.

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Arriola, a Harvard-educated businessman, told Patch in an exclusive interview he now believes Schell had a disingenuous motive for the complaint she filed against him early this year. He believes Schell wanted to extend her stay in the United States under immigration rules intended to protect crime victims who have suffered “substantial physical or mental abuse."

In addition to his $6,000-a-year elected position, Arriola is the CEO of Miami-based Inktel Direct Corporation, information that is easy to come by on the Internet. The commissioner said he believes that made him an easy target. His company employs more than 800 people throughout South Florida and hundreds more outside the state.

“The whole thing went away, but the problem is that in the media that’s out there, the only thing is there was an allegation made against me,” Arriola asserted over coffee in the city’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood. “Ultimately, it was dropped. But nobody knows all the details — or bothered to investigate this woman.”

Now, Arriola is focused on clearing his name and putting his unforgettable Tinder date behind him once and for all.

Miami Beach Police Chief Daniel Oates acknowledged his department referred the case to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s office to avoid any appearance of conflict.

“The important thing for us is we gathered all of the facts and we very much wanted to rely on the decision of the State Attorney especially since it was one of our public officials,” the chief told Patch. “We presented all the facts that we had to the State Attorney, and I’m very comfortable with their finding.”

According to the close-out memo from the Public Corruption Unit of the State Attorney’s Office, prosecutors found no evidence to suggest that a crime had occurred and no witnesses to back up Schell’s story.

“This case involves the delayed report of a non-consensual touching. The victim declined to provide additional details to the State Attorney’s Office about the incident,” the close-out memo concluded. “Because the state would not be able to satisfy the burden of proof in this matter, the state will decline to file any charges.”

Even so, Oates told Patch he does not want to speculate as to why Schell filed the complaint against Arriola in the first place.

“I believe the accusations based on the totality of the case were without merit,” the chief said. “It’s not my job to speculate as to why someone made those allegations.”

Patch attempted to contact Schell through the email address she gave Miami Beach police when she filed her complaint against Arriola. But there was no immediate response.

Green Card

According to information published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, foreign visitors who are victims of crimes and meet eligibility requirements, may be able to qualify for a green card as a result of their otherwise unpleasant experience on U.S. soil.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Michael Bars told Patch that Congress enacted what the agency refers to as its "U visa" to help crime victims and to strengthen the ability of U.S. law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute crimes.

"The U visa not only helps protect legitimate victims, but is a key tool in the work performed by law enforcement," he said. "USCIS carefully reviews each petition on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the victim meets all eligibility requirements, including whether the person is in fact a victim of a qualifying crime and whether the person was helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime."

Arriola told Patch that Schell made it clear during their brief encounter she wanted to remain in the United States, even referring to it as her "business plan." He said she told him she wanted to find an American, whom she could pay $1,500 a month to marry her and stay with her for 18 months.

“So, somebody can literally fly into town, go after a high-profile guy like me, damage my reputation and then leave with no consequence,” Arriola lamented.

Arriola, who was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, insisted that he made it clear to Schell he had no interest in marrying her, if that was the point of the conversation as he surmised.

“I said ‘Look, if you’re on this date because you think I want to marry anybody — or I need the money — you got the wrong guy,’” he recalled saying at the time. “She goes ‘No, I figured that. I could tell that you’re not that kind of guy, but I want to find somebody.’ She goes ‘Maybe I’ll find a gay guy who will do it.’”

Costly Arrangement

Such an arrangement would have cost Schell $27,000. It’s not clear that she had that kind of money based on her Jan. 10 account to Miami Beach police.

The complaint was filed nearly a month after her fateful first — and last date — with Arriola on Dec. 15, 2017.

Schell told police she arrived in the United States with only $2,000 in cash on Dec. 6, 2017. She said she timed her visit around the city’s Art Basel festival, and then spent several nights sleeping in cars to save money.

The Date

Schell connected with Arriola on Tinder several days before their date in Miami Beach. After a few online exchanges, they finally met in person in front of the Royal Palm Hotel at 15 Street and Collins Avenue. They walked to nearby Loew’s Hotel and had drinks at an outdoor bar.

Schell ordered champagne while Arriola went with scotch.

They took an Uber across town to Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante, an intimate Sardinian bistro with modern décor and a wall filled with unopened wine bottles at 18 Street and Purdy Avenue.

Before sitting down for their meal, Arriola and Schell took a stroll along the bay. She said the commissioner leaned in for a kiss and Schell didn’t seem to mind. But Arriola recalled that it was the other way around, which took him by surprise.

The couple seemed in agreement that they both went inside and settled into a window table.

After dinner, Arriola said he and Schell walked to the Bay Club just around the corner, while Schell thought they took an Uber. She didn’t remember the name of the establishment.

But Schell recalled meeting a friend of Arriola’s at the bar who was introduced to her as “Brian.” She said she believes the friend was former Miami Beach mayor and recent Florida gubernatorial candidate Philip Levine while Arriola says it was his friend, Brian Elias, an attorney.

Schell insisted that Arriola made a comment about her figure to his friend, specifically that she had a great butt, but the awkward compliment left her feeling uncomfortable — so much so that she abruptly left in a taxi and headed back to her parked car. Arriola says the woman left to put more money in her parking meter.

But by the time she arrived at her parked car, it was already too late. She had gotten a ticket.

“She called me to say she wasn’t going to come back,” Arriola recalled. So, he jumped in an Uber and headed to Schell.

“I met her at her car. She insisted on moving the car already again.”

Arriola said he tried to convince the woman that there was no point moving the car since she had already gotten a ticket. Parking enforcement does not issue multiple tickets on the same day to the same car at the same location, he assured her.

After paying for the woman's taxi, Arriola said he reluctantly got into the passenger seat of her car. He said he was trying to talk Schell out of driving since she had been drinking. She said he crossed the line while trying to seduce her.

Arriola told Patch that Schell wanted to go Miami Beach hotspot LIV at the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach. But it was far too early for that since the nightclub doesn’t even open until 11 p.m.

She started driving there anyway, he said.

"Now I'm getting pissed because she's clearly over the limit and I don't want to be in the car with somebody who has been drinking," Arriola insisted.

Ariola said he decided to abandon his argument and take an Uber back to the Bay Club. "I said, 'I strongly suggest you leave the car here tonight and Uber back wherever you are going.' I shut the door. You could see she was pissed that I'm the one who ended it."

The Woman's Claim

Schell’s criminal complaint alleged that Arriola crossed the line between a handsy date into the realm of criminal behavior.

“The victim then stated that she stopped the car at an unknown location,” Schell told Miami Beach police. “The subject then kissed her on the mouth and stated how much he liked her.”

Schell recalled Arriola was soon “all over her.”

She told police that the commissioner unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed her chair back until she was almost laying in a horizontal position.

“The subject then put his hand underneath the victim’s dress and touched her vagina as well as her breasts,” police wrote of her account. “The subject removed his pants but did not expose his penis.”

Schell decided she had enough and told Arriola to stop, according to her statement to police. The police report noted that Arriola obeyed Schell's wishes and then got out of the car.

“None of that happened," Arriola insisted to Patch.

Moreover, he said that no crime could have been committed, according to Schell's own account which said he stopped when she told him to stop.

No Second Date

Obviously, there was no second date. But the commissioner texted Schell the next day to ask if she made it home OK. She sent back a concerning response.

“The victim advised that after the incident she spoke to a ‘friend’ who was an attorney,” according to the police report. “The victim then sent the subject an iMessage advising him that she was thinking of taking legal action against him.”

At that point, Schell told police, she researched Arriola and learned he was an elected official. The commissioner suspects Schell already knew about his standing in the community before she ever got out of her car for their Tinder date.

TV Interview

Miami Beach police included a note in the report about an interview that Schell did with a reporter from Miami’s NBC affiliate after details of the complaint became public.

The interview took place at a hostel where Schell was staying two days after she filed her complaint against Arriola. The information came to police via a third party.

“The victim indicated to the reporter that she had reported the allegations against the subject in attempt to gain some type of compensation from the subject,” the police report said.

Similar Incident

Arriola learned about a similar incident in North Miami Beach on Jan. 6 — four days before Schell filed her complaint in Miami Beach and exactly one month after Schell’s arrival to the United States.

The second case also began with a Tinder encounter.

Here Schell connected with Alejandro Gasquet of North Miami Beach, who told police that he met the woman on the same dating app five days before she came to his home.

Contacted by Patch, Gasquet said he was recovering in a hospital from serious injuries he suffered in an unrelated accident and did not feel up to being interviewed at this time.

But Gasquet told North Miami Beach police at the time that he communicated with Schell through the dating app before inviting her into his upscale home along a canal on NE 31 Avenue.

Schell didn’t feel well and needed a place to stay for the night, Gasquet explained in his account to police.

“Alejandro stated he felt bad, so he let her stay the night,” according to the police report. “Alejandro then stated Lena refused to leave in the morning at which point, an argument started.”

Schell told police that Gasquet grabbed her by the arm to get her to leave, but Gasquet denied that he ever laid a hand on the woman.

“Alejandro stated Lena walked out of the house at which point he locked the door,” North Miami Beach penned in their report. They snapped photos of Schell for the report but didn’t find any signs of injuries. They left without filing charges against Gasquet but issued a warning for trespassing to the woman.

“Lena had no visible injuries,” according to North Miami Beach police. “Lena was referred to the State Attorney’s Office if she wished to press charges.”

Suspicous Activity

Federal immigration officials tell Patch that the agency has mechanisms in place to deal with suspected cases of immigration fraud.

"USCIS takes fraud very seriously, and has mechanisms in place to assess the credibility of petitioners," said an agency official. "If it is determined that a petitioner has made false accusations and is not actually eligible for a U visa, their petition will be denied."

To report suspicious immigration activity such as benefit fraud, call the ICE HSI Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) from U.S. and Canada. TTY for hearing impaired only at 802-872-6196. Call 802-872-6199 from other locations around the globe or visit Report Suspicious Criminal Activity.

Public Embarrassment

Arriola believes that Schell left the country in March, when her visa would have expired.

While the experience has been a public embarrassment, Arriola still sees the benefit of Tinder for busy professionals looking for romance.

“Do it,” he said. “You need to be careful though.”

Commissioner Ricky Arriola returns to the restaurant where he dined with his Tinder date on Miami Beach. Photo by Paul Scicchitano.