Collier County man accused of making fraudulent deeds

A Collier County man was arrested Tuesday after deputies say he created fraudulent property deeds for personal gain.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, David Brewer, 49, faces multiple counts of fraud and grand theft.

Detectives say Brewer created false deeds on four vacant land parcels owned by two victims and then changed the ownership to himself and the non-profit organization that he once ran called Reinitiating Hope Inc. CCSO checked state records in early March and found the organization, which assisted Copeland residents affected by Hurricane Irma with food and supplies, had been dissolved on Sept. 28, 2018, a year after Irma hit.

The four properties are located in Copeland and have a combined total market value of nearly $50,000. Brewer told a CCSO investigator who contacted him on March 8 that he created and recorded the quit claim deeds because the properties were given to him for free.

Both victims told detectives they never signed the deeds nor gave Brewer their permission to take ownership of the properties.

On March 23, Brewer visited the Collier County Property Appraiser’s office on Radio Road seeking to file a homestead exemption on one of the properties, according to his arrest report. One of the employees told him the property had a fraud alert and was under investigation. Brewer became belligerent and was asked to leave.

Detectives interviewed Brewer on Tuesday and took him into custody.