ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill, 58, was arrested Thursday morning on elderly exploitation and fraud charges, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.
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Hill, who represents District 5, surrendered herself at FDLE’s Orlando Regional Operations Center near downtown Orlando on Thursday morning.
Agents said they then took her to the Orange County Jail, where she was booked at 9:45 a.m. on charges including, exploitation of the elderly, fraud, mortgage fraud and scheme to defraud.
Read: Who is Regina Hill, the Orlando city commissioner who was arrested?
During her booking, Hill refused to provide personal information, including her current address, jail officials said.
She faced a judge at about 1 p.m. Thursday. During that hearing, Hill pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the judge granted her a $40,000 bond.
Watch the full hearing by clicking here.
Hill said nothing as she left the jail at about 2:45 p.m. after paying bail. Click here or scroll below to see video of her departure.
Photos: Regina Hill through the years
Read: Regina Hill case: Orange County court delays hearing
Hill is accused of exploiting a 96-year-old constituent.
FDLE agents said Hill used falsified documents to gain power of attorney over the woman, to purchase a home, to obtain loans to renovate that home and to spend more than $100,000 of the woman’s money on luxuries, including a facelift, perfume and dental surgery.
Agents also said that while Hill spent money to renovate the home that she was staying in rent-free -- outside of her district -- Hill’s own home remained in a dilapidated state.
Earlier this month, a judge ordered Hill to stay away from the victim and the home at which Hill was residing.
Hill had skipped public appearances since the accusations against her were made public by Channel 9.
Read: Notary claims document at center of Hill investigation was altered
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, FDLE agents described the allegations as “extremely tragic.”
They revealed that Hill’s arrest was the culmination of a 13-month-long investigation.
Agents said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office contacted FDLE in February 2023 after being notified of allegations that Hill was “taking advantage of the community.”
They said Hill initially used her position as a city commissioner to her own advantage by contacting the constituent.
Read: Document: FLDE’s accusations against Orlando commissioner Regina Hill
Agents said the victim was unaware of how much power she had signed over to Hill or how much of her money Hill had spent.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told Channel 9 on Thursday that the allegations are “extremely unfortunate and concerning.”
He said that he does not have the authority to suspend Hill or remove her from office.
“That’s the governor’s purview,” Dyer said. “But it is our job to replace the commissioner.”
He said he will “call a special election once the commissioner is suspended.”
Read: Facelift, perfume & IV: Orlando commissioner investigated for exploiting 96-year-old woman
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Attorneys for the victim provided Channel 9 with the following statement:
“On behalf of (the victim), Ms. Alexander, the attorneys involved and Community Legal Services, we wanted to express our gratitude for the offers from the community to support (the victim’s) legal and personal needs during this challenging time. It is comforting to know that there are so many people (who) truly care about (the victim’s) well-being and the well-being of seniors. We would direct any future offers of support to (be emailed to) SupportAMC@clsmf.org. CLS will direct them to the appropriate channels. CLS is a 501(c)(3) and does not charge clients for legal services.”
On Thursday, Hill called Channel 9′s Daralene Jones while Jones was anchoring Eyewitness News at 4 to deny the accusations made against her.
Hill told Jones that she and her team of attorneys are determined to fight the charges, and she wants to publicly speak about the case because she feels that she has been silent for far too long.
Hill told Jones that she appreciates the support from members of the community who have reached out to her.
Watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates to this developing story.
Read our recent coverage on Hill’s case below:
- Who is Regina Hill, the Orlando city commissioner who was arrested?
- Regina Hill case: Orange County court delays hearing
- Notary claims document at center of Hill investigation was altered
- Document: FLDE’s accusations against Orlando commissioner Regina Hill
- Facelift, perfume & IV: Orlando commissioner investigated for exploiting 96-year-old woman
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