11-03-2025
Man gets 15 years for stealing Hillsborough County houses, victims wanted longer sentence to ‘send a message'
TAMPA, Fla (WFLA) — A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing houses in Hillsborough County. Victor Rodriguez pleaded guilty in court, moments before jury selection was set to begin in his trial.
His charges include organized fraud, fraudulent use of personal information, and filing false documents.
Dreama and Larry Bilby were victim to Rodriguez's crimes. They watched him be sentenced in court Monday.
'We would've thought it would've been a little bit longer, only because these cases are very, very rare to come to trial. It's extremely rare to catch this kind of economic bandit,' said Larry. 'I would've liked to have a longer sentence quite frankly, just to send a message.'
Dreama said the sentence frustrated her, as she still feels like her home is not hers.
'I mean 15 years? This last year has been a nightmare. It has taken years off my life,' said Dreama.
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Charles Sauer drove to court from Miami to speak. He said Rodriguez stole his father's property, and for him, this case is personal.
'Victor was once my brother in law. He's the father to my three nieces,' said Sauer. 'A month and a half later after dealing with the loss of my father, he committed deed fraud on my dad's property and transferred it to third parties.'
Sauer told the court he hopes this time will allow Rodriguez to reflect on the frustration and pain he's caused. Though Sauer feels at peace, he said it's a lot to take it.
The Bilby's said they aren't too hopeful, because this can still happen to anyone.
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'Your own family, you don't know and you don't know if your house is your own,' said Dreama.
The Bilby's said they want legislation to change to increase penalties and prevent this from happening to begin with.
Rodriguez's wife, Michelle Cherry, committed the scams with him. In January she accepted a plea to testify against her husband if he were to stand trial. Cherry will be sentenced at a later date and faces a minimum of 10 years in prison.
Hillsborough woman gets mother's home back after suspecting fraud on quitclaim deed
Homeowners can protect themselves from property title theft by through the Hillsborough County Clerks Property Fraud Alert System.
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