A Florida scammer was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by 12 years of probation for hijacking control of a company to commit multiple incidents involving deed theft and loan fraud.
According to the charges brought against him, Robert Houston fraudulently claimed control of Sarasota-based Glenco Properties in 2022 with the Florida Division of Corporations. Glenco Properties owned 21 houses that were primarily used for subsidized housing.
Houston and his collaborators filed numerous Quit Claim Deeds to transfer the Glenco Properties assets to Mr. Commercial Industrial, a corporation in which Mr. Houston was president. Houston then mortgaged the properties, obtaining $1.3 million in loans by using forged bank records and fraudulent business purchase agreements.
Houston was found guilty of Scheme to Defraud, Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information, Money Laundering and 24 counts of Unlawfully Filing False Documents. Prosecutors also revealed Houston was previously incarcerated in California for defrauding an elderly couple through a similar scam. In the sentencing, the court further ordered that all of Houston’s remaining assets be given to Jim Glenn and his mother Beatric Glenn, the rightful owners of Glenco Properties.
Ed Brodsky, the State Attorney for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, said, “Unfortunately, technology has made it easy for this type of crime to occur. If you are an employee or officer of a corporation, please remember to check the filings online periodically in order to ensure someone has not filed false documents.”
Photo courtesy of Robert Houston’s Instagram page
