According to analytical records, Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill used a record with falsified information to snag a government-backed mortgage against an old constituent’s better credit.
According to records and discussions lately made available to the Orlando Sentinel from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement exploration, the document bears the name of a politically connected lawyer who was a friend and former Hill battle field producer.
The power of attorney declaration, which gave Hill the right to purchase the home on the west of Lake Mann in both her and the old woman’s names, is marred by numerous errors. In August 2022, But Hill was given the go-ahead to obtain the Domino Drive house.
The real estate agent handling the deal, Robert Sinclair, told FDLE officials that he believed Hill’s status as an elected official made her feel “like she could destroy them if she wanted to.”
” Loans, companies, I mean everybody connected with this, myself included, were stressed”, Sinclair told investigators last month, according to the FDLE statement. ” I do n’t have any proof, I know she is capable of it, I mean, she is a city commissioner for God’s sakes, so anybody doing business around here was possibly a little nervous”.
The now-96-year-old person whose name appears on the loan and home deed alongside hers has since been accused of being a victim of Hill’s abuse. The girl, who suffers from memory lost, did not appear to know her own role in the package, the FDLE says.
The two first met in early 2021 after capital police officers reported “deplorable” problems at the old woman’s house. Hill attempted to tidy up the home, but a previous Hill secretary after made an initial report to the police that she had been suspicious that Hill had begun to abuse the girl. In late March, Hill was charged with a number of criminal matters related to elder abuse, and she was then suspended from her town council seat. Hill was charged with draining the old woman’s accounts of about$ 100, 000 and obtaining a false power of attorney to buy the Domino Drive house.
Hill has pleaded not guilty and maintained her ignorance in court.
Sinclair described Hill’s challenge to obtain a loan as “misery, very, very hard”, according to a recently released description of his meeting with FDLE authorities.
He claimed that” she had issues getting qualified right up until the very end.”
According to an attorney for the title company that handled the transaction, Hill likely would n’t be able to obtain the loan on her own because of her low credit score. In fact, Hill had formerly tried, clumsily, to qualify for a loan to purchase the property, Alan Sandler of Near North Title Group in Altamonte Springs said. In an effort to boost her chances, Sandler told investigators he thought Hill had the old woman’s name as a cosigner. The old woman’s credit report was more than 100 items higher than Hill’s, FDLE officials noted.
Hill eventually received a loan of$ 428, 000, well over the home’s selling price of$ 295, 000. To protect needed home improvements, Sandler claimed the loan was higher than the home’s appraised price.
Prior to being chosen, Hill had to go through a buying process before being chosen to buy the house, Sinclair told authorities. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development had formerly owned the home. He claimed he had never seen the office extend to anyone else and that he was surprised by how long Hill was able to secure a mortgage. He also claimed he had spoken with FDLE officers about how she had used her political influence to contact a “higher-up” professional at the company in Washington, D.C.
According to the FDLE reports, the federal agency is looking into the home’s order as well, but a ministry spokesman did not confirm the status or existence of the investigation.
The power-of-attorney document that enabled Hill to purchase the home contained several irregularities, including a witness signature that appears whited out, with the name of Omari Nembhard, Hill’s son, signed on top. But Nembhard’s name is misspelled as” Nembard” and he told investigators in a brief interview he never signed the document, before declining to answer other questions. The other witness, Jacqueline Cockerham, the former Hill aide who first alerted the FDLE, said she did n’t sign the document, either.
On the record, two distinct dates are also visible just a few lines apart.
The document’s notarized signature, which is Sandra Lewis’, was disclosed to investigators, but she did not not notarize it. However, she said some of the other handwriting on the document does not look like her penmanship. FDLE officers described the record as “fraudulent”, according to their report on the investigation. Additionally, Lewis also disclosed to the authorities that she had a letter from the Notary Section of the Office of the Governor that stated that it was looking into the matter during the interview in February 2023.
Lewis claimed to have previously notarized documents for Hill, but she is unable to recall when or what they were. The Orlando Sentinel could n’t reach her for comment.
Investigators interviewed Lewis at the office of her employer, Democratic Rep. Bruce Antone of Orlando, records show. Lewis has been active in Central Florida politics for several years, working extensively for Hill during her 2017 and 2021 campaigns, records show. In exchange for her work as a field director, canvasser, and consultant, Hill paid more than$ 38, 000 to Lewis or individuals who were closely associated with her during those two election cycles.
According to records, Lewis has also participated in other candidate campaigns for the city commission.
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