HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has apprehended a 37-year-old Orlando man in connection with an elaborate scam that defrauded a 92-year-old Sun City Center resident of over $800,000.
Otiz Swinton Jr. was arrested on April 30, 2025, in Orlando and now faces multiple felony charges.
The investigation revealed that the victim was targeted in June 2022 through a combination of bank and romance scams. The elderly man transferred a significant amount of money from his Fidelity account to his Wells Fargo account, which was subsequently depleted through various methods.
These included transactions on the cryptocurrency platform Uphold, peer-to-peer transfers, ATM withdrawals, point-of-sale purchases, and other unidentified means.
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The break in the case came on March 10, 2025, when Swinton Jr. was captured on surveillance footage at a Publix located at 5265 South John Young Parkway in Orlando, using the victim’s Wells Fargo debit card to make a purchase.
Further investigation uncovered a series of five counterfeit checks, totaling $14,300.00, made payable to Swinton Jr. from the victim’s account between March 13, 2025, and April 2, 2025. During this same period, additional unauthorized charges exceeding $5,000 were made using the victim’s card.
Authorities discovered that Swinton Jr. had a prior conviction for fraud and had served time in Florida State Prison. Shockingly, detectives determined that even while incarcerated, Swinton Jr. orchestrated further withdrawals from the victim’s Wells Fargo account through an accomplice.
“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.”
Swinton Jr. is currently facing charges of Fraudulent Use of Personal Information of an Elderly Person, Fraudulent Use of Personal Information Over $5,000 or 10 but less than 20 victims, Fraudulent Use of Credit Card over $100.00, and five counts of Uttering a Forged Instrument. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are not ruling out the possibility of additional arrests.
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