The US Legal professional’s Workplace for the Center District of Florida launched an official assertion concerning an Apopka man’s jail sentence: Orlando, Florida – Keith Oelerich (62, Apopka) has been sentenced by U.S. District Choose Julie S. Sneed to 5 years and 5 months in federal jail for wire fraud and aggravated id theft. As a part of his sentence, the courtroom additionally entered an order of forfeiture within the quantity of $17,964,680, the proceeds of the wire fraud offense. Oelerich pleaded responsible on September 22, 2025. U.S. Legal professional Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
In accordance with courtroom paperwork, in December 2018, Oelerich, the proprietor of Empire Sheds and Extra, LLC, a transportable storage shed firm, entered into an settlement with a mortgage financing firm. Below the settlement, Empire Sheds submitted to the mortgage financing firm rent-to-own contracts between Empire Sheds and its clients for the rental and buy of sheds. The mortgage financing firm paid Empire Sheds the acquisition worth of the sheds, and Empire Sheds’ clients have been required to pay the mortgage financing firm common month-to-month rental funds for the sheds underneath the phrases of the rent-to-own agreements.
Between December 2018 and September 2023, Oelerich used the private identifiable data of others to create 1,043 false and fraudulent rent-to-own agreements and submitted these false and fraudulent agreements to the mortgage financing firm. Consequently, the mortgage financing firm paid Oelerich a complete of $17,964,680, the acquisition costs of the sheds referenced within the agreements. In actual fact, many of the sheds didn’t exist. Oelerich used this scheme to acquire mortgage proceeds to which he was not entitled and to complement himself.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Legal professional Diane Hu. The forfeiture is being dealt with by Assistant United States Legal professional Nicole M. Andrejko.
