Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill was indicted Thursday by grand jury on charges of elder abuse and fraud, according to court records filed in Orange County, Florida.
The commissioner was hit with three counts of first-degree elder abuse resulting in damages of more than $50,000, three counts of fraud including personal identity and mortgage fraud, and one count of scheming to commit fraud. The alleged abuses took place from April 2021 to August 2022.
Hill is accused of financially exploiting 96-year-old Annie Mae Curtis, a woman who lived in her district, Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show. After gaining power of attorney over the woman, Hill allegedly stole more than $100,000 from the elderly woman’s savings account to use for personal benefit. Authorities say she used the money to buy her own house, settle her son and his girlfriend into a home owned by Curtis, and purchase other personal luxuries like vacations, facelifts, and dental surgery.
The charges follow a yearlong investigation by the FDLE, which was alerted by a former aide who said they had been fired for speaking up about Hill’s alleged fraud, documents show.
Special Agent in Charge John Vecchio was scheduled to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Thursday to provide more information.
Hill is also embroiled in a civil lawsuit with Adriane Alexander, a Tampa resident who won power of attorney over Curtis and displaced Hill in February. Alexander is accusing Hill of taking advantage of the woman’s mental incapacities, allegations that Hill has denied through her own filings, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Hill has said through court filings that Alexander does not know the woman; Alexander maintains that she is the daughter of the Curtis’ lifelong friend, a claim that Curtis’ own filings support.
Hill has been the District 5 and Orlando city commissioner for 11 years.
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