A Florida woman pretending to be a licensed real estate broker was arrested for defrauding a first-time homebuyer out of roughly $37,000.
CBS12.com reports Cherisse Louidor of Riviera Beach was hired in May 2024 by a woman seeking help in buying her first home. Louidor previously held a broker license, but that was revoked in April 2023 by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation following customer complaints regarding unreturned deposits.
According to the Palm County Sheriff’s Office investigation, the victim wired three separate transfers totaling $47,985 into a PNC Bank account for Louidor’s company, Succor Realty Services, between May and July of 2024. However, the buyer was tipped off by a licensed broker who warned her that Louidor was operating illegally.
When the buyer sought to finalize her home purchase, the title company informed her there was only $10,779 of the escrow money that was sent in small wire installments. The buyer tried unsuccessfully to contact Louidor, who transferred the victim’s money into her personal bank account.
Investigators determined that Louidor siphoned $37,205.09 of the buyer’s money, which was used on personal expenses and cryptocurrency investments.
The victim reported the incident to law enforcement in October 2024. Louidor was arrested Saturday on charges of grand theft of $20,000 or more and operating as an unlicensed real estate broker.
Photo via Palm County Sheriff’s Office
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