A Miramar man who called himself a private “hard money” lender is headed to federal prison after ripping off a Lynchburg-area doctor for nearly half a million dollars that was supposed to finance a commercial real-estate deal.
Instead of landing the building she wanted, prosecutors say the physician watched almost $500,000 in wired payments vanish into casinos and other personal spending, while the man she trusted stopped taking her calls.
Federal sentence
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia, 66-year-old Tommie Lee Nelson of Miramar, Florida, pleaded guilty in February to a single count of wire fraud. On June 10 he was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
Prosecutors said Nelson posed as a private lender who could quickly deliver financing for a commercial building the doctor wanted to buy in the Danville area. He allegedly persuaded her to wire a series of payments that ultimately added up to almost $500,000. The FBI’s Richmond Division handled the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman prosecuted the case.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
Nelson did his best to look legitimate, according to Miramar News. He reportedly reassured the doctor that her money would be held safely in escrow while the deal moved forward, and he even traveled to see the Danville property in person…