ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Two years ago, Gelsey Rhormens and her then-husband became friends with a man at the gym they used to go to.
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Months later, as the friendship progressed, the friends became business partners.
“He presented himself as a very friendly person,” said Rhormens in Portuguese. “Soon, when he talked about his work, we felt comfortable with investing with him.”
The man who presented himself as a business partner was 43-year-old Joao Carlos do Rego, a Brazilian native who’s said to have been in the United States for about six years.
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“He said he worked with properties that were not sold during state auctions,” said Rhormens, who spoke exclusively with Channel 9. “His work was basically search for those properties, buy them, and he would even say he had people already interested in (buying) the places.”
Rhormens said she invested $30,000 with Do Rego in hopes of buying two properties out of state, but she never saw the homes. The alleged scammer used a company called Excellence Private LLC, now inactive according to the Florida Division of Corporations. Last month, Do Rego was arrested for an unrelated bank robbery in Hunters Creek.
For Gelsey, that was a relief. “I cried when he was arrested. I waited so much for that day. Not only for me, but for all the other people I met and learned about,” she said. “I received too (many) messages from many people, with stories that made me extremely emotional.”
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Rhormens shared her story on social media and received multiple messages from fellow Brazilians who claimed to have fallen victim of the man.
At least 20 of them have filed police reports against Do Rego, but Rhormens believes there could be even more.
“People are scared to say anything because of their immigration status,” she said. “Some even told me Joao himself threatened to report them to the USCIS if they said anything.”
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The man is now at the Orange County jail for the bank robbery case, but he also involved in at least four other criminal charges in Brazil, court documents showed, including for fraud and falsification.
Rhormens’ fraud investigation was initially conducted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The State Attorney’s office is now looking into possible charges against Joao Carlos do Rego.
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