WASHINGTON — A California man who appeared on an HGTV house flipping show has been sentenced to four years in prison for real estate and financial fraud.
Charles “Todd” Hill, 58, of Los Gatos, appeared as one of the featured flippers on HGTV's "Flip It to Win It."
"The show’s concept was that he bought dilapidated homes, fixed them up, and then sold them for a profit," the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said in a press release. "Instead, Hill spent millions on overbudget remodels, laundered profits, and pocketed millions in fraudulently obtained money."
According to prosecutors, Hill's schemes included scams that occurred before he appeared on the HGTV show that aired in 2014.
“Some see the huge amount of money in Silicon Valley real estate as a business opportunity,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Others, unfortunately, see it as a criminal opportunity – and we will hold those people strictly accountable.”
Prosecutors said Hill was convicted in Sept. 2023 after admitted to grand theft with aggravated white-collar enhancements.
The district attorney's office said in one case Hill diverted construction money for his personal use. In another, prosecutors said he operated a Ponzi scheme by using an investor's money meant for buying homes to instead support his own lavish lifestyle. In that case, he used fraudulent information to get loans and created fake balance sheets to cover up the theft.
According to the press release, Hill was ordered to repay nearly $10 million from the real estate and financial fraud he committed against 11 victims. He was taken into custody Tuesday to begin to serve his prison sentence.