Photo of police cars from City of Doral, mugshot from Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, collage by New Times
Audio By Carbonatix
Police are accusing 72-year-old Venezuelan actor Franklin Virguez of masturbating in his truck Wednesday morning at the Doral Park Country Club, just steps away from a pool and playground where young kids were playing, according to an arrest affidavit. Doral police charged Virguez (listed as Virguezdun on criminal records) with two counts of indecent exposure, according to court records.
Partially evidenced by his 2.8 million Instagram followers, Virguez is widely considered among the most famous Venezuelan actors. He’s appeared in hit ’90s soap operas like “Por Estas Calles” (On These Streets), telenovelas like the late ’70s classic “María Del Mar,” and dozens of other movies and TV shows spanning back to 1976, according to his IMDB page. Many on social media have linked Virguez to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, since both men have been living in Miami as political exiles and vocal critics of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Miami-Dade County inmate records indicate that authorities booked Virguez into jail at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the arrest affidavit, a man came to the country club at about 11:30 a.m. to use the gym and saw Virguez masturbating in the front seat of a gray Chevrolet Trax right in front of about seven five-year-old children.
The witness took a video recording of the man before calling police, which officers describe in the affidavit, saying, “the video depicts the victim approaching the male’s vehicle from the passenger side while recording with his cellular phone. As the victim reached the passenger side of the vehicle, the male was observed holding his penis before quickly concealing it upon noticing that he was being recorded.”
Virguez then drove away, revealing his license plate in the video. Police found Virguez through his registration, and the victim positively identified him in a lineup, according to the affidavit.
Police “believe that the defendant intentionally exposed his sexual organs in a public place in a vulgar, indecent, lewd, and lascivious manner, in close proximity to children at a nearby playground and pool area,” according to the affidavit.
