Michelle Cherry pleaded guilty to multiple counts of fraudulent use of personal information and several counts of organized fraud over $50,000 in 2 cases in January.

In a separate hearing in March, her husband Victor Rodriguez pleaded guilty to organized fraud, fraudulent use of personal information and filing false documents in cases where they were accused of filing fake deeds to gain control of homes. Rodriguez also faces similar charges in Miami-Dade County. He was sentenced to multiple 5- and 15-year sentences which will run concurrently.

The Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, Victor D. Crist, offers a property fraud alert that will notify a homeowner within 48 hours whenever a document is recorded in Hillsborough County using their name or business name.

Property Fraud Alerts

Anyone is at risk of property fraud if they make any real estate transaction. The FBI says Property Fraud is the fastest-growing, white-collar crime in the U.S. Hillsborough County is one of the many hotspots for property fraud. In 2024, Property Fraud Legislation was created that mandated counties offer a property fraud alert system. The Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller has offered this alert system since 2015.

The homeowners in his case registered for the Clerk’s Property Fraud Alert and that exact same day they were alerted to the fake quit claim deed that was filed by Cherry. The victims took quick action, which led to the suspects’ arrests using surveillance from the Clerk’s office as evidence.

This system will notify a homeowner within 48 hours whenever a document is recorded in Hillsborough County using their name or business name.

The program is free and easy to use, and it only takes 5 minutes to sign-up. To date, the Clerk’s Office has over 75,000 property fraud alert program subscriptions.

Property Fraud Alerts