A Leesburg man is accused of selling a mobile home while its owner was incarcerated out of state.
Michael Anthony Pachetti, 65, was charged with scheme to defraud, grand theft, and uttered forged documents in connection with an incident that occurred last year and was brought to the attention of the Eustis Police Department in June, according to an arrest report.
The unidentified male victim contacted law enforcement on June 28 to report Pachetti sold his mobile home without his permission while he was imprisoned in New York, the report said.
The victim said he was arrested in Orange County in September 2022 and spent about two or three weeks in the Lake County Jail. While he was there, it was learned the victim had an extraditable warrant out of New York for leaving the state prior to completing his probation. He was extradited and finished his time in the Niagara Correctional Facility near the end of January, according to the report.
In early October 2022 – while the victim was incarcerated – Pachetti used an old license with a forged name to put the victim’s 1985 Mall trailer up for sale with Four Star Homes, Inc. According to the listing agreement, Pachetti listed the trailer for $27,000. Per the purchase agreement, the trailer was sold in November 2022 for $25,000 in “as is” condition. The deal included the washer, dryer, refrigerator, and oven. Closing was scheduled to be on or before December 2022, the report said.
In November 2022, Four Star Homes made a check out in the amount of $20,948.50 with Pachetti’s name in the memo line. The reverse side of the check was endorsed with two signatures and processed at Addition Financial in Lake Mary. They advised that Pachetti did not have power of attorney, the report said.
Representatives of Four Star Homes were cooperative and provided copies of the paperwork on file, including photocopies of the driver’s license, the listing agreement, the purchase agreement, and the check. The company also provided copies of the application for certificate of title, the certificate of title, and the valid registration for the mobile home, according to the report.
After hearing from the victim, law enforcement contacted Pachetti on his cell phone and spoke with him about the situation. He told them he had a verbal agreement regarding the home that said if anything was to happen, the home would go to Pachetti, the report said.
When the victim went to jail, Pachetti took possession of the home and everything in it. He said he paid for some repairs, collected items to donate to Goodwill and sold some of the furniture. Pachetti said he couldn’t remember, but he believed he put the home on the market around November and sold it for about $22,000. When asked where the money went, he said he spent it, according to the report.
Pachetti said he knew the title was not in his name. He admitted to forging signatures on all the documentation, including the listing of the home, the sales agreement, and the check he received, the report said.
Pachetti went to the Eustis police station Monday morning to discuss the case. When he arrived, he was arrested. The New York native was transported to the Lake County Jail without incident and released after posting $6,000 bond.
