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published: Sunday, January 29, 2012

Avon Park man charged with $988,000 in land swindles

By ED BALDRIDGE

ed.baldridge@newssun.com

AVON PARK -- An Avon Park man was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempting to swindle $988,000 out of fraudulent land contracts.

Michael Edward Williams, 49, of Avon Park, remains in jail on a $50,000 bond for five counts of fraud-swindle to obtain property and five counts of a forged or fictitious signature.

A report from the Highlands County Sheriff's Office states that Williams misrepresented himself to several real estate agencies as the principle in companies that did not exit.

Williams allegedly approached Nextage Florida Living, Century 21, Keller Williams and several individual land owners, claimed he was an out of town investor and asked them to show him property.

Williams then contracted to purchase several of the properties, taking them off the market, but never followed through with the agreements, the report said.

All told, the report shows that Williams claimed to be the principle or owner of nine different companies and additionally told witnesses that he was representing multiple land trusts in the state of Kentucky.

The report also claims that Williams attempted to gain bank routing numbers for a Lake Placid woman and the Social Security numbers of other unidentified victims.

In addition to the allegations of fraudulent contract signatures, witnesses claimed that Williams also contracted companies for work on some of the purchases and did not pay.

Some of the work Williams requested included electrical work and decorating services for a total of $4,200.53 combined.

"The defendant (Williams) used a systematic, ongoing course of conduct with the intent to defraud multiple persons...," the reports said.

Williams was charged and found guilty of perpetrating fraud in November of 2011, according to the HCSO website.