Article Courtesy of The
Ledger By Tori
Walker
Published November 14, 2015
HAINES CITY — A 66-year-old man who was president
and treasurer of a homeowners' association has been charged with the theft of
more than $60,000.
Branche Jordan, 16495 Cottonwood Place in Middlefield, Ohio, had charges of
grand theft of $20,000 or more, scheme to defraud and money laundering of
$20,000 or more filed against him Sept. 24, said Assistant State Attorney Brian
Haas.
Jordan will have his first court appearance in Polk County at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Jordan was elected as the president and treasurer of the Grenelefe Country
Homeowners Association in 2013, reports said.
The current president, Ed Rezek, told investigators that the president's
responsibilities include acting as the chief executive officer of the
corporation. The treasurer's responsibilities include maintaining all financial
records, collecting dues, paying bills, providing financial statements to the
Board of Directors at meetings or as requested and preparing all financial
documents for the Board of Directors, reports said.
In December 2014, Rezek and Board member Tom Broadaway contacted the Polk County
Sheriff's Office to report a theft from the association.
Rezek and Broadaway claimed Jordan stole $75,000 worth of cash, keys, checkbooks
and association documents during the previous past two years. Reports said
Jordan depleted three certificate of deposits the association had as well as its
savings and checking accounts by spending the money on unapproved
transactions.
Sheriff's Office investigators ultimately charged Jordan with stealing a total
of $60,243.
He is accused paying nine months of personal Verizon Wireless bills, 15 personal
mortgage payments, 27 checks made payable to himself, 11 personal payments to
Progress, which is now Duke Energy, 21 unapproved debit card charges and a $600
cash withdrawal from the savings account, reports said.
The two told deputies when they confronted Jordan about the missing money in
December, he left the state.
Sheriff's Office investigators found Jordan had written 36 checks from the
association's checking account to "Bud Jordan" for a total of $36,047 over 1½
years, reports said. Investigators were able to verify this money was deposited
into Jordan's Midflorida bank account.
Investigators also were able to verify he used the Grenelefe Country Homeowners
Association bank account to pay $24,196 of his own bills such as mortgage and
Duke Energy from the account, reports said.
They also verified Jordan owned two homes in the Grenelefe Homesowners
Association, one at 2 Nottingham Way in from 2011 to 2015 and the other, which
he has owned since 2009, at 83 Aspen Drive, reports said.
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