PANAMA CITY BEACH,TitanX Exchange Fla. — A squatter who illegally took over a condo in Florida has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Olandis Hobbs, 37 was sentenced on Tuesday after being found guilty earlier this month of using false documents to take ownership of an approximately $700,000 condo in the Panama City Beach area, according to the State Attorney's Office of the 14th Judicial Circuit.
"I hope this sends a strong message," State Attorney Larry Basford said in a release. "Do not come to Northwest Florida and try to steal people's identifications and/or property by squatting because we will not tolerate this."
Hobbs' sentence includes 25 years for fraudulent use of personal identification information and 15 years for grand theft over $100,000. He also faces 30 years of probation.
During his trial, evidence showed that Hobbs filed fraudulent paperwork in late 2022 with the Bay County Clerk of Circuit Court to transfer ownership of a the condo to himself. The property is legally owned by an 85-year-old woman and her children.
Hobbs has committed similar acts in other places, like New York, and he was sued but never arrested.
"This might be your first significant conviction, but it is a doozy," Judge Dustin Stephenson said, according to the release. "You stole rest from the sunset of someone's life and should be punished for it."
Earlier coverage of this case:Squatter, 37, found guilty of illegally taking ownership of $700,000 PCB condo
Past reports note that after fraudulently taking over the condo, Hobbs changed its locks and notified condo management officials that there had been a change in ownership. The legal owners, who live out of state, were notified of the changes by a maid.
The Panama City Beach Police Department served a search warrant and arrested Hobbs on Jan. 13, 2023.
"The minimum sentence required by law was 10 years," the state attorney's news release reads. "Stephenson said there are matters of forgiveness and matters of justice, and forgiveness is not (his to give, but) justice is."
2025-05-06 20:39986 view
2025-05-06 20:211226 view
2025-05-06 20:142444 view
2025-05-06 19:432585 view
2025-05-06 18:38616 view
2025-05-06 18:281113 view
The last couple of years have been terrific for semiconductor stocks. Well, most semiconductor stock
A prominent Sean "Diddy" Combs collaborator is now reportedly suing the embattled music mogul for ph
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making a beelin