Pembroke Pines Aesthetic Nurse Accused of Defrauding Coworkers in $16,000 Forex Investment Scheme

A nurse practitioner operating in the aesthetic medicine field in Pembroke Pines has been arrested and accused of orchestrating a foreign exchange (Forex) trading scam that defrauded two colleagues out of a combined $16,000.

The investigation into Jonathan Cuenca, a 39-year-old family nurse practitioner, was launched in April when two victims filed reports with the Miramar Police Department, according to an arrest report.

Cuenca owns Eternity by JC, a medical aesthetics clinic based in Hollywood, and simultaneously serves as the director of education at the Florida Academy of Medical Aesthetics, a beauty school located at 11280 Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines.

While police confirmed that both victims knew Cuenca through professional connections, they did not specify whether they were colleagues at his med spa or the beauty school.

Requests for comment submitted to Eternity by JC and the Florida Academy of Medical Aesthetics went unanswered.

According to detectives, Cuenca persuaded the two coworkers to invest in his purported Forex trading team. He enticed them with promises of a 30 percent return on their investments, prompting both to wire multiple payments over the span of two months.

Investigators determined that one victim transferred $5,000 to Cuenca via the Ethereum network, followed by a $3,000 Zelle payment on February 15, 2025.

The second victim made four separate Zelle transactions, totaling $2,300, $500, $2,500, and $3,000, between February and March 2025, according to the arrest report.

Cuenca subsequently directed the two coworkers to download separate investment applications. Although the apps differed, investigators noted they shared a nearly identical format. He assured the victims that he would fund their accounts personally and provide trading instructions.

After nearly a month passed without any visible returns, one of the coworkers requested a withdrawal of her funds on March 30, 2025. Cuenca responded that she would receive her money back within three days.

Within an hour of that exchange, both women reported being locked out of the app. They were informed that their funds had been confiscated by an associate of Cuenca’s, according to the Miramar police.

Investigators determined that Cuenca embezzled $8,000 from one victim and $8,300 from the other.

During a police interview conducted in October 2025, Cuenca claimed he had invested the money through an application called “ACMJ,” which has been widely identified as a fraudulent platform by consumer protection agencies and international regulators.

Cuenca further alleged that he had also been a victim of fraud, stating that an unnamed individual scammed him out of $20,000 in December 2024.

When asked whether he had reported his own victimization to law enforcement, Cuenca stated that he had only contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Officers instructed him to compile any documentation substantiating his claim and to demonstrate that he had not exploited his coworkers, setting a deadline of November 3, 2025.

Detectives reported that Cuenca never returned to the police station, made any effort to contact investigators, or reimbursed his former colleagues.

He was taken into custody on August 26 by the Pembroke Pines Police Department and is currently facing two third-degree felony charges for grand theft.

As of August 27, jail records indicated that he was being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond, owing to a 48-hour immigration hold.

Court records do not yet list legal representation for Cuenca.

Source link