Michael Alfinez

Guide Note

18-year-old Michael Alfinez was arrested and charged with exploiting his 85 year old senile grandmother, Maria Huertas, on a video tape. He allegedly dressed her as a gangster, and manipulated her in to shouting profanities and threats, such as, "This is for all the pigs" and "I'll shoot you," and having her hold a chrome, .22-caliber handgun. The video was found after a traffic stop in January, 2008, and shows Alfinez firing the same gun out of a car window while driving through a neighborhood in Palm Beach, Florida with a friend.

Alfinez allegedly gave his senile grandmother a semiautomatic pistol to hold as he coached her into shouting at a video camera. According to the sheriff's report, he asked her to flash money, told her what to say and dressed her up like a gangster.

Alfinez was charged with elderly abuse, discharging a firearm in public, and improper exhibiion of a dangerous weapon. He may be charged with vandalism after additional video footage was found of Alfinez destroying private property.

Fast Facts

1. Maria Huertas is 85
2. His mother says the arrest was a misunderstanding