Los Gatos man who starred in ‘Flip It to Win It’ begins serving jailtime
(KRON) — A former HGTV star was sentenced to jail on Tuesday for committing real estate and financial fraud against 11 victims, prosecutors said. Charles “Todd” Hill, 58, of Los Gatos was the star of “Flip It to Win It.”
“The show’s concept was that he bought dilapidated homes, fixed them up, and then sold them for a profit. Instead, Hill spent millions on overbudget remodels, laundered profits, and pocketed millions in fraudulently obtained money,” the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office wrote.
A judge sentenced Hill to serve four years in jail and pay nearly $10 million in restitution to victims. The judge ordered Hill to immediately report to jail Tuesday.
Hill was convicted last year of multiple fraud schemes, including scams perpetrated well before the show was launched, prosecutors said. “Evidence showed that Hill spent the laundered money on a rented apartment in San Francisco, as well as hotels, vacations, and luxury cars,” the DA’s Office wrote.
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“Some see the huge amount of money in Silicon Valley real estate as a business opportunity,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Others, unfortunately, see it as a criminal opportunity – and we will hold those people strictly accountable.”
According to the DA’s Office, Hill created a Ponzi scheme by taking an investor’s money budgeted to buy homes and, instead, used it to live lavishly. To hide the theft, he created false balance sheets and got loans using fraudulent information. In another scheme, an investor toured a home for which he had provided Hill with $250,000 for remodeling. The investor discovered the home was burnt down shell, and no work had been done on it.
Hill was indicted in November 2019. On September 27, 2023, he was convicted of grand theft against all victims and admitted the aggravated white-collar enhancements. Hill was ordered to pay back restitution in the amount of $9,402,678.
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