The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man in connection with scamming an elderly man out of over $800,000.
In June 2022, the 92-year-old victim from Sun City Center was targeted in a bank and romance scam. He transferred thousands from his Fidelity account to his Wells Fargo account. The money was depleted from this account to multiple individuals through Uphold, a cryptocurrency platform, peer-to-peer transactions, ATM withdrawals, point-of-sale transactions, and various other ways.
On March 10, 2025, Otiz Swinton Jr., 37, was caught on camera at a Publix at 5265 South John Young Parkway in Orlando, using the victim's Wells Fargo card to make a purchase. From March 13, 2025, to April 2, 2025, five counterfeit checks were made payable to Swinton Jr. from the victim's Wells Fargo account. The total value of those five checks was $14,300.00. During that time, various other charges were made using the victim's card, totaling more than $5,000.
Swinton Jr. had previously been in Florida State Prison for fraud. Through investigative means, detectives determined Swinton Jr. had someone else withdrawing money from the victim's Wells Fargo account while he was in prison.
On April 30, 2025, detectives arrested Swinton Jr. in Orlando. He has been 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."
This is an ongoing investigation; any further information will come from the Public Affairs Office.