Attorney General James Uthmeier Secures 21-Year Prison Sentence for Crypto Criminal who Targeted Seniors

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit (CFEU) secured a 21.6-year prison sentence for Otiz Swinton Jr, marking the longest incarceration sentence for a cyber fraud case since CFEU was founded in 2023.

“This fraudster preyed on some of our most vulnerable citizens without remorse,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Florida will not tolerate criminals who exploit our seniors, and I am grateful to Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Sarah Keith and Patrick Gilday for their work in securing a sentence that reflects the severity of these crimes.”

“Targeting elderly victims through fraud and deception is a calculated and cruel crime,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “We are grateful to see justice delivered in this case. We will continue working alongside our partners at the Attorney General’s Office to hold offenders accountable and protect our community and seniors from predators.”

The investigation, led by CFEU in collaboration with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, began after a complaint from one of Swinton’s victims, a 95-year-old man. Between June 2022 and April 2025, Swinton repeatedly contacted the victim, falsely claiming that the victim’s Fidelity account had been compromised. Swinton convinced the victim to transfer funds to a Wells Fargo account and mailed him a flash drive and a cell phone to access the victim's computer remotely.

Swinton then guided the victim through creating a cryptocurrency wallet and conducted unauthorized transfers from the victim’s account to his own. He also wrote checks to himself from the victim’s account and deposited them. At the time, Swinton was actively serving a prison sentence for an unrelated offense and carried out the scheme from behind bars.

After his release from prison in March 2025, Swinton immediately resumed criminal activity, targeting a second victim, a 97-year-old woman. Swinton impersonated a Spectrum employee, falsely claimed her accounts had been compromised, obtained her personal and banking information over the phone, and conducted unauthorized purchases and money transfers.

Swinton was convicted on two counts of Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information of a Person 60 Years of Age or Older, two counts of Exploitation of a Person 65 Years of Age or Older, two counts of Organized Fraud Less than $20,000, one count of Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards, and five counts of Uttering a Forged Instrument.

Swinton will serve out his sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections.

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