(KRON) — A former HGTV star was sentenced to prison Tuesday for conspiring to commit real estate and financial fraud against 11 victims, prosecutors announced. Charles “Todd” Hill, 58, of Los Gatos, was a star of “Flip It to Win It.”
“The concept of the show was that he would buy dilapidated homes, renovate them, and sell them at a profit. Instead, Hill spent millions on over-budget renovations, laundered the profits, and pocketed millions of dollars of his fraudulent gains,” the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office wrote.
The judge sentenced Hill to four years in prison and ordered him to pay about $10 million in restitution to his victims. The judge ordered Hill to report to prison immediately on Tuesday.
Hill was convicted last year of multiple fraud schemes, including one that took place well before the show began, prosecutors said. “Evidence demonstrated that Hill used the laundered funds to rent an apartment in San Francisco, as well as hotels, vacations and luxury vehicles,” prosecutors wrote.
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“Some people see the huge amounts of money flowing into Silicon Valley real estate as a business opportunity,” said District Attorney Jeff Rosen. “Unfortunately, some see it as an opportunity to commit crimes, and we intend to hold them strictly accountable.”
According to the District Attorney's Office, Hill created a Ponzi scheme to steal funds from investors' home-buying budgets and use them to fund a lavish lifestyle. To cover up his thefts, he created fake balance sheets and obtained loans using false information. In another scheme, an investor toured a home for which he had given Hill $250,000 to renovate. The investor discovered the home had a burned-out exterior and no work had been done.
Hill was indicted in November 2019. On September 27, 2023, he was convicted of grand larceny against all victims and pleaded guilty to aggravated white collar crime. Hill was ordered to pay $9,402,678 in restitution.