PASCO COUNTY, FL -
The Pasco Sheriff's Office has closed a fraud investigation into the target of an Eight On Your Side investigation without filing any criminal charges.
Economic Crimes Detective Tyler Croker was investigating allegations that G.T. Wilson Jr. committed fraud by renting a home in foreclosure that he didn't own, without the owner's permission.
"We disclosure everything 100 percent," Wilson told a reporter last December. "It is not my intention to defraud anybody."
But in the Pasco case,homeowner Margaret Vieira said she was unaware that Wilson had rented her vacant home until weeks after tenants moved in and said Wilson never passed the rent proceeds to her.
"I do think I've been taken advantage of," Vieira told Newschannel Eight.
Wilson worked in concert with his former girlfriend Sunnie Finkle, a real estate associate who signed up Vieira for a short sale so that Vieira could avoid foreclosure on her home. As part of that deal she asked Vieira to sign documents giving Wilson an "option to buy" and power of attorney which he used to rent the home to tenants he found on Craig's List.
"It clearly states throughout the contract that we have every intention of renting the property," Wilson told Croker in a recorded interview. "We use the money we generate from the property--not to give to the homeowner."
When Croker suggested that keeping the rent money for himself was the crux of the alleged scam he was looking into, Wilson agreed to give the $1350 he collected from tenants David and Wendy Wein back to Vieira.
Croker said Vieira agreed to drop her complaint if Wilson paid her the money so Croker closed the case.
But Vieira said she's still waiting. "I don't really trust that he will give back the money," Vieira said. "I have not heard from him at all."
The Weins say regardless of whether Wilson pays Vieira, they're still facing eviction because Vieira is selling the home to someone else. They believe Wilson is getting away scott free after tricking them into thinking he was the owner when they rented Vieira's house and spent money fixing it up.
"He is what I consider a shark," said David Wein. "He's not going after big business or corporate, he's going after the little guys working their tails off."
Despite a number of complaints from homeowners and tenants uncovered by Eight On Your Side in Pasco, Hillsborough and Polk Counties, Wilson insists he did nothing wrong by collecting rent from homes he doesn't own.
"I've been doing similar transactions for three years," Wilson told Croker.
Wilson said he's getting out of the real estate business and for the moment so is Finkle.
The licensed broker Finkle worked under fired her and her state real estate license is listed as "inactive." Finkle can not sell real estate until she finds another broker to work under.
G.T. Wilson Jr. and Sunnie Finkle, Facebook photo
