Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Local Doctor of Almost $500,000

LYNCHBURG, Va. - A Miramar, Florida man pled guilty yesterday to perpetuating a two-year scheme to defraud a Lynchburg doctor out of nearly a half million dollars.

Tommie Lee Nelson, 65, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. At sentencing, Nelson faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

According to court documents, beginning around April 2020, the victim, a Lynchburg doctor, sought to purchase a commercial building in Danville, Virginia, in partnership with an agricultural cooperative. Nelson represented himself to the victim as a "hard money" lender who could assist in purchasing the building.

Through Nelson's fraudulent representations, he convinced the victim to wire him several payments from July 2020 and into 2021, ultimately totaling almost $500,000. Despite Nelson's representations, these payments did not go toward the building purchase. Instead, Nelson spent the victim's money at casinos and for his personal benefit.

By 2021, the purchase agreement had fallen through, and Nelson stopped responding to the victim's calls.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Division made the announcement today.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.