The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of defrauding a 92-year-old Sun City Center resident out of more than $800,000 through a combination of romance and banking scams.
According to investigators, the elderly victim was targeted in June 2022 and began transferring funds from his Fidelity account to his Wells Fargo account. These funds were then drained through a variety of methods, including cryptocurrency transactions on Uphold, peer-to-peer payments, ATM and point-of-sale withdrawals, and other unauthorized charges.
Detectives identified Otiz Swinton Jr., 37, as a suspect after he was caught on surveillance footage on March 10, 2025, using the victim’s Wells Fargo debit card at a Publix store located at 5265 South John Young Parkway in Orlando.
Between March 13 and April 2, 2025, five counterfeit checks—totaling $14,300—were made payable to Swinton Jr. from the victim’s account. Additional unauthorized charges during this period amounted to over $5,000.
Detectives also discovered that while Swinton Jr. was previously incarcerated in Florida State Prison for fraud, he coordinated with another individual to withdraw money from the victim’s Wells Fargo account.
Swinton Jr. was arrested on April 30, 2025, in Orlando. He is facing the following charges:
- Fraudulent Use of Personal Information of an Elderly Person
- Fraudulent Use of Personal Information Over $5,000 or 10 but Less Than 20 Victims
- Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card Over $100
- Five Counts of Uttering a Forged Instrument
“These predatory schemes rob our residents of the security and financial stability they’ve spent their lives building,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Those who deliberately prey on the elderly are the worst kinds of criminals as they exploit vulnerability, trust, and often isolation for personal gain. We will continue to pursue anyone who targets our seniors with every resource at our disposal.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
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