Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill is accused of stealing $100K from elderly victim to fund spending spree on a new home, a facelift and a trip to Miami in years-long extortion plot
An Orlando city commissioner allegedly exploited a 96-year-old woman and stole more than $100,000 from her in a years-long scheme.
Regina Hill is accused by Florida investigators of obtaining a power of attorney for the unnamed elderly victim, which she used to buy a house while financing a lavish spending spree.
In addition to using the woman’s name to get a mortgage, she also reportedly spent more than $100,000 on a facelift, perfume, clothes, IV vitamins, a trip to Miami and dental surgery, according to court documents of News 6.
Hill has not been arrested or charged, but is the subject of a state investigation that was initiated when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) received a tip from one of its staffers who had been fired.
Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill (pictured) is the subject of a state investigation after he allegedly exploited a 96-year-old woman and stole more than $100,000 from her in a years-long scheme
Hill is said to have obtained the woman’s power of attorney before exploiting her to obtain a mortgage for a house in Orlando (pictured) under the retiree’s name.
According to the documents, Hill met the woman in March 2021 in her job as a commissioner, and the intention was to help her get better living conditions. Within a month she had received her power of attorney.
According to investigators, she then used her power of attorney to take out a mortgage on a home in Orlando’s Lake Mann Estates neighborhood, without the woman’s consent or knowledge.
It is believed that Hill’s son and girlfriend live in the house, while Hill lives in a separate house that reportedly once belonged to the older woman’s parents, and which she reportedly spent much of her savings renovating.
She is also accused of racking up more than $10,000 in debt under the woman’s name.
In her spending, she is said to have used the $100,000 on luxury brand perfumes and beauty treatments, including dental work and a facelift.
According to the reported documents, Hill also used the woman’s savings for a New Year’s Eve vacation to Miami, and for a large number of intravenous vitamins from a company called Vitalounge.
Although she has not been criminally charged, Hill has had numerous other run-ins with the law that reportedly surfaced when she first ran for office in 2014.
According to the Orlando Sentinelduring her run, news emerged that she had a criminal record that included 21 high-profile arrests dating back to 1983. The arrests included drug offenses, DUIs, fraud, and passing bad checks.
She was also arrested in Birmingham in 2022 for public intoxication, the outlet reported.
Hill’s son Rakeem was also arrested in 2015 when a stash of guns and drugs was found in a home she owned at the time, reports WFTV9.
Hill is accused of spending money from the victim’s life savings
She reportedly spent over $100.00 on a facelift, luxury perfumes and vacations
Hill’s son Rakeem (pictured) was also arrested in 2015 when a stash of guns and drugs was found in a house she owned at the time.
The court documents reportedly stem from a petition by the 96-year-old woman’s attorney to keep Hill away from the woman’s property and finances.
The petition reportedly led to a judge issuing a temporary injunction a week ago, evicting Hill from her home.
FDLE Special Agent Steve Brenton reportedly asked the woman about signing her power of attorney, saying, “She remembered signing some sort of document, but did not understand it and would never have agreed to give Hill a to give power of attorney.’
Brenton went on to say that when he looked at Hill’s expenses, “these purchases and/or withdrawals from the bank exceeded $100,000 and benefited Hill exclusively.”
He said that while her home had undergone renovations, the house the elderly woman lived in needed repairs, but Hill allegedly spent no money to repair it.
The officer’s affidavit stated that before Hill met the older woman, she had more than $164,000 in her bank account and a balance of approximately $650. As of October, she had $60,000 in her bank account and $10,000 on her credit card.
News 6 reported that FDLE was alerted to the alleged scheme last year, when a former assistant to the Orlando commissioner raised the alarm after they were fired.
The former employee, identified as Jacqueline Cockerham, said Hill “tormented” her at work, forcing her to work long hours and tend to her personal affairs.
Personal matters included cleaning the elderly woman’s home, which she said was littered with urine and cat feces.
The city of Orlando released a statement after the investigation began, claiming to have only recently learned of the allegations.
“The city has been notified of the warrant issued against Commissioner Hill,” a city spokesperson said.
“We are not part of the warrant and have no details of the allegations related to it.”