LAKE WALES, FL — A Maryland man is facing felony charges after investigators say he took nearly $39,000 from a Central Florida couple who were trying to close on a new home.
Polk County court records say Cecil Porter Bartu was arrested in August and charged with obtaining property by fraud, grand theft, and fraudulent use of personal identification information. Investigators say the money came from a wire transfer the couple sent after receiving emails that appeared to come from their title company.
The case centers on a common type of fraud that targets homebuyers at the end of a real estate transaction, when wiring instructions are expected and mistakes can be expensive.
How the couple was fooled by a nearly identical email address
Matthew Brock and his wife, Stefanie, were getting ready to close on their new house when they began receiving messages that looked like they came from the company handling the title work.
The email address was almost the same as the real one used by the title company. The difference was in the domain ending: “.co” instead of “.com.”
Matthew Brock later told News 6 that the difference was easy to miss. The couple believed the wiring instructions were legitimate and had no reason at the time to think the request was part of a scam.
In January 2025, they sent $38,805.17 to the account listed in the email. They did not know the instructions were fake until later, when they learned the title company never received the funds.
Investigators traced the wire to a North Carolina bank account
Lake Wales police say the wire transfer led them to a bank account in North Carolina that had been opened about two months earlier.
Court records show no other money entered that account before the Brocks’ transfer arrived. Investigators say that same day, Bartu went to a bank branch and withdrew $33,100.
Security footage recorded the withdrawal, and police sent a still image to the Raleigh Police Department. An officer there identified Bartu based on prior contacts.
Investigators say Bartu then went to a second branch, but the bank had placed the rest of the funds on hold and would not release them.
Bank records show more withdrawals before the account was shut down
According to investigators, Bartu also withdrew another $485.50 later that day from two ATMs in Charlotte.
After the theft was reported, the bank closed the account and returned the remaining money to the Brocks, court records show. That helped limit the total loss, but police say most of the wire transfer had already been taken out.
The records suggest the account was used only briefly before the transaction tied to the Brock transfer. That detail became important in the investigation because it supported the timeline police used to trace the fraud.
Bartu is charged with two second-degree felonies and one third-degree felony
Bartu, 41, has pleaded not guilty. He is charged with obtaining property by fraud between $20,000 and $50,000, grand theft between $20,000 and $100,000, and fraudulent use of personal identification information.
Those charges include two second-degree felonies and one third-degree felony under Florida law, according to the court records. The alleged amount taken from the Brocks, $38,805.17, falls within the range listed for the fraud and theft counts.
His case is being handled in Polk County Circuit Court. The charges stem from the wire transfer and the account activity that investigators say followed almost immediately after the couple sent the money.
Judge lets Bartu return to Maryland while he awaits trial
Last month, a judge granted Bartu’s request to return to his home in Maryland while he waits for trial. That decision means he is not being held in Florida as the case moves forward.
The court records do not say when trial will begin. For now, the case remains focused on how the spoofed email was used to divert the down payment and how quickly the money moved once it reached the fraudulent account.
The Brocks’ experience is a reminder of how small changes in an email address can have major financial consequences during a home purchase, especially when buyers are expecting urgent wire instructions.
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