HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — 37-year-old Otiz Swinton Jr. has been arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in connection with scamming a 92-year-old man out of over $800,000.
Deputies say Swinton Jr., a convicted felon with prior fraud offenses, used romantic deception in a complex scheme involving bank fraud.
Officials say that in June 2022, the victim, from Sun City Center, transferred thousands of dollars from his Fidelity account to his Wells Fargo account. The money was drained in many ways, including cryptocurrencies, ATM withdrawals, peer-to-peer transactions, point-of-sale transactions, and more.
Deputies say on March 10, Swinton Jr. was caught on camera at a Publix in Orlando using the victim’s Wells Fargo card to make a purchase. Additionally, counterfeit checks were made payable to Swinton Jr. from the victim’s account, totaling $14.3 million.
On April 30, Swinton Jr. was arrested in Orlando and charged with Fraudulent Use of Personal Information of an Elderly Person, Fraudulent Use of Personal Information Over $5,000 or 10 but less than 20 victims, and Fraudulent Use of Credit Card over $100.00, and 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."
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