Local News

Man sentenced 20 years for fraud

BRAD DICKERSON
Published: June 29, 2009

BARTOW - It could end up being a life sentence for a 66-year-old man sentenced Monday in Polk County to 20 years in prison that will follow his 7-year prison term for violation of probation in Highlands County.

Robert Dean Hall was sentenced on one count of scheming to defraud over $50,000 and one count of money laundering, according to Chip Thulberry with the state attorney's office in Bartow.

The probation violation sentence was handed down in Highlands County back in January.

In 1995, Hall was originally sentenced locally to 2 1/2 years in prison and 15 years of probation after pleading guilty to 10 counts of scheming to defraud, according to Highlands County court records.

Between July 1991 and Dec. 31, 1994, Hall sold insurance policies to nine individuals and kept the money for his personal use. He ended up defrauding the victims out of approximately $195,142.

Hall's Polk County scheme started in November 2001 and ran through February 2006.

Investigators determined he was running a Ponzi scheme, which is a "fraudulent investment operation that involves paying returns or profits to investors out of the money paid by new or subsequent investors rather than from net revenues generated by any real business," according to the complaint affidavit from the state attorney's office.

Hall scammed several of his "golfing associates" from the Eaglebrooke Golf Course in Lakeland. He offered to sell them touch-screen computers that could be placed at businesses for customers to use to buy phone cards and pay bills.

The affidavit stated Hall offered to manage and service the computers and split all profits. He defrauded 17 individuals out of approximately $283,395.

On May 11, 2006, it was discovered that Hall had moved from his Lakeland home without the consent of his probation officer, Highlands County court records stated. This was in violation of the terms of his probation.

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson can be reached at (863) 386-5838 or bdickerson@highlandstoday.com