A Villager who has been ordered to remove his unapproved Florida room is now facing fraud charges.
Youseff El-Masry, 81, was arrested Tuesday by Lake County sheriff’s deputies on Sumter County warrants charging him with insurance fraud and organized fraud. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $4,000 bond.
Last week, El-Masry appeared before the Community Development District 2 Board of Supervisors in a bid to save the addition he made to his home without the approval of the Architectural Review Committee. His home is located at 2164 Estevez Drive in Villa Vera Cruz in the Village of Santiago.
After the deed compliance violation was reported. El-Masry went before the ARC to appeal for retroactive permission to keep his Florida room. The ARC did not grant his request.
El-Masry, who immigrated to the United States in 1968, got little sympathy from the CDD 2, which has ordered him to remove the addition and bring the property back into compliance.
“What you have is in violation of the rules. Put it back the way it was,” said Supervisor Jim Cipollone.
Last week, El-Masry was not happy with the board’s decision and had to be told several times to step away from the podium and return to his seat.
“It’s bureaucracy without a reason,” El-Masry said.