Man accused of collecting rent on properties he didn't own

Deputies arrested a 43-year-old man Friday and accused him of collecting $30,000 in rent money on properties he didn't own.

George Allen Ola Jr., of 8831 Garden Party St., is charged with scheme to defraud. He posted a $10,000 bail and was released shortly after his arrest last week.

Ola couldn't be reached for comment Monday.

Investigators said Ola entered a contract with Bay Vista Realty in May to lease the properties he said he owned. Ola provided Bay Vista with notarized copies of quit claim deeds that were filed with the Pasco County clerk of court.

The filings show the properties were deeded to Fifth Third Equity Group Inc., a company Ola incorporated in December 2009, between January and April. But investigators said Ola forged the names of the homeowners.

Two of the homes are located in the Asbel Creek subdivision and the others are in Suncoast Meadows and Country Walk, court records show.

Bay Vista rented the homes out to tenants, who signed leases and paid rent to Ola without knowing the properties were in various stages of foreclosure.

Neither the homeowners nor lien holders authorized the homes to be leased, according to an arrest report. The renters were told to mail their rent in the form of money orders or cashier's checks to a P.O. Box in Tampa owned by Ola, the report states.

The issue was first reported to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office in August, an incident report states. A Pinellas County attorney representing one of the homeowners called the office and told a deputy that a family was living in his client's home while his client was living in Brazil.

Court records show the bank had filed for foreclosure on the house in question in December 2008. The foreclosure continues to be listed as an open case.

Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said detectives are still searching for any other potential victims. Anyone who has had dealings with Ola or his company is asked to contact the sheriff's office Economic Crimes Unit at (727) 844-7724.

Ola isn't the first Pasco County man to be accused of leasing homes without ownership. Stephen Bybel, 49, of Land O' Lakes, was arrested in February 2010 and charged with scheme to defraud.

Investigators said Bybel took possession of 72 vacant homes in Land O' Lakes and Wesley Chapel, changed the locks and rented out 31 of them. Detectives said Bybel collected roughly $17,000 in rent in January 2010, although Bybel later disputed that number.

Bybel attempted to take the homes using a seldom-used law called "adverse possession," which allows for circumstances when one person can legally take another's property without paying for it.

Investigators didn't see it that way. Bybel's case is set for hearing March 18 and for trial March 21

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