Who would have thought that a home-flipping character calling himself “Mr. Flip It” on an HGTV reality show would be so deeply involved in real estate fraud? South Bay man Charles “Todd” Hill was just sentenced to four years in prison for a $10 million fraud.
In 2014, HGTV had a reality show called “Flip It to Win It” (it only ran for one season). Set in Silicon Valley, the premise of the show was that “five teams of skilled real estate agents competed to win abandoned houses without ever seeing them in person.” The trailer below introduces one of these teams, “Todd & Michael,” with Todd becoming known as “Mr. Flip It.”
“I don't want to go bankrupt,” laughs Todd. “Even if it's inevitable!” jokes teammate Michael.
The joke takes on a slightly different meaning, as a 2016 Bay Area News Group report revealed that “Todd” was being sued by investors in a $6 million real estate fraud scheme. The report also stated that Michael quickly ended his business relationship with Todd (whose real name was Charles “Todd” Hill).
SFGate reported in 2018 that Hill was arrested on theft charges in a home flipping scheme. In a twist reminiscent of his “I don't want to go bankrupt” line, prosecutors alleged that Hill's company was actually bankrupt and that he falsified data to keep real estate investors involved. Hill was apparently convicted in September of this year, with KPIX reporting that he was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $9.4 million in restitution to his victims.
According to prosecutors, Hill's home-flip scheme often involved him not making repairs with investor funds, but instead “spending the laundered funds on rental apartments, hotels, vacations and luxury cars in San Francisco. Prosecutors also say Hill created false balance sheets to deceive investors and obtain fraudulent loans.”
“Some see the huge amounts of money flowing into Silicon Valley real estate as a business opportunity,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Unfortunately, some see it as an opportunity to commit crimes, and we intend to hold them accountable.”
RELATED: City attorney fines local home flipper $1.2 million for unpermitted construction [SFist]
Image: Flip It to Win It (via Facebook)