Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured a 7-year prison sentence for a fraudulent businessman operating a tax deed surplus scheme. Stephen White posed as a representative of multiple fake businesses to submit false documents at county clerks’ offices. White claimed legal entitlement to tax deed surplus funds being held by the clerks on houses sold at auction—stealing nearly $800,000 in the operation. In addition to prison time, White is ordered to pay $780,000 in restitution.
According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, White submitted fake documents to county clerks’ offices to obtain tax surplus money on behalf of a fraudulent business. The documents, including some altered notarized forms, claimed the fake business possessed liens on houses sold at auction. White performed this scheme 29 times at clerks’ offices throughout central and South Florida, obtaining nearly $800,000.
From August 2016 to August 2020, White operated this scheme at the following county clerks’ offices: Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Lake, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and St. Lucie.
FDLE investigated the case, and Attorney General Moody’s Statewide Prosecutor Robert Finkbeiner handled the prosecution. White is convicted of grand theft and identity theft affecting 10 or more victims, a first-degree and second-degree felony, respectively. The Honorable Larry Metz today sentenced White to 7 years in prison and to pay $780,000 in restitution plus investigative and prosecution costs.
