A Villager convicted of fraud has been found in violation of deed compliance due to overgrown grass and weeds at her home in The Villages.
The home located at 401 Fuentez Ave. in the Village of De La Vista was the subject of a public hearing Friday morning before the Community Development District 1 Board of Supervisors.
The home, owned by Joyce Tolan, is in foreclosure with Bank of America. She and her late husband purchased the villa in 1995 for $83,900. The utilities at the home have been turned off. The property preservation company working for Bank of America has been unresponsive to contacts from Community Standards.
A complaint was received by Community Standards on July 19 regarding overgrown grass and weeds at the home. The board voted to give Tolan three days to bring the property into compliance. If she fails to do so, she will be fined $250 each time the District is forced to service the property.
Tolan was arrested June 13, 2019 at Village Ford in Belleview after she presented a falsified driver’s license with the name “Barbara Brooks.” Tolan had been mailed the fraudulent driver’s license by her “Syrian boyfriend” who instructed her to present it when she picked up a vehicle he had ordered from the dealership, according to an arrest report from the Belleview Police Department. He told her the vehicle would be delivered to her home, but the dealership instead called her and asked to sign paperwork at the dealership. That is where she was arrested on fraud charges. The real “Barbara Brooks” was contacted and said she wanted to press charges. She said she had received several calls from dealerships in which fraudulent purchases had been attempted with her identity.
Tolan spent a month in the Marion County Jail and was placed on probation for four years. She was assessed fines and court costs, but never paid them, according to Marion County Court records. A collection agency has been contacted by the court to attempt to recover the money from Tolan.
In a letter filed in Sumter County Court in a separate civil matter, Tolan detailed her financial difficulties.
Her husband passed away in 2016 and she claimed she “didn’t receive any money for four to five months,” according to the court document.
The 77-year-old said she soon found herself past due on her mortgage, amenity fees, water and trash bills in The Villages.
“I haven’t had a working refrigerator, dishwasher since last year. I have no extra money for a much needed roof and A/C system that are starting to give me issues,” she said in the letter.
