Home upgrades, a facelift, clothing and perfume — all allegedly on the dime of an unsuspecting 96-year-old woman.
An investigation is underway to determine if Orlando city commissioner Regina Hill financially exploited an elderly woman, establishing power of attorney over her and using her money to take out a mortgage for a house located in the Lake Mann Estates area of Orlando, for starters.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement believe that Hill’s son is currently living in the home with his girlfriend. In addition, Hill allegedly has been living in a home that belonged to the elderly woman’s parents — without paying rent. She has also been accused using the woman’s money to purchase IV vitamins, a trip to Miami, car insurance and dental surgery.
Hill is accused of taking more than $100,000 from her. She has yet to be charged or arrested.
She allegedly obtained power of attorney over the woman in 2021. Hill used her legal positioning to not only spend the woman’s savings but to also accumulate $10,000 of debt in the woman’s name. Documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel reveal a affidavit from an agent for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The agent had been investigating the matter for a year.
According to the March 7 document, Hill first encountered the woman in March 2021. A month later, the woman signed power of attorney over to Hill. When Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent Steve Brenton asked the elderly woman about that occurrence, she “said she recalled signing some sort of document but did not understand it and would have never agreed to allow Hill to be a power of attorney” over her.
Regarding Hill’s use of the woman’s money, Brenton stated that “these purchases and/or bank withdrawals exceeded $100,000 and solely benefitted Hill.” Brenton also made a note that the home the victim resided in needed repairs. However, there wasn’t any evidence that Hill spent any of the money to help fix the home.
A temporary protective injunction for exploitation of a vulnerable adult was granted last week. Per the order, Judge Heather Higbee wrote that the injunction against Hill was necessary since there was the “likelihood of irreparable harm.”