A convicted felon from Orlando is facing up to a decade behind bars after a federal jury found him guilty of transferring several homes and a Tesla to prevent the government from seizing the assets.
On Monday, February 10, 46-year-old Christopher Switlyk was convicted by federal jurors on two counts of removal of property to prevent seizure.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, a forfeiture money judgement in the amount of $10,700,592 was entered against Switlyk in 2013. The judgement arose from a prior criminal case in which he was convicted of several felony offenses.
At that time, over $6 million was seized by the government, and Switlyk owed more than $4 million. Nearly a decade later, in 2022, the U.S. Marshals Service learned that Switlyk had acquired several bank and financial accounts, along with two vehicles and three real estate properties, in an attempt to obstruct the government from lawfully taking these properties into its custody and control.
Two of the properties were located in Daytona Beach, specifically in the 500 block of Shady Place and the 100 block of Aleatha Drive. The third property was located in the 2400 block of Victoria Gardens Lane in Tampa.
On November 13, 2022, the United States obtained a preliminary order of forfeiture from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, which allowed the government to seize Switlyk’s assets to partially satisfy the money judgement.
The next day, the U.S. Marshals served the order on Switlyk’s financial institutions, which froze his accounts.
Switlyk soon discovered that some of his accounts had been frozen, which prompted him to transfer assets to his father on November 16 and 17, 2022, with the purpose of preventing the government’s lawful authority to seize them. Among those transferred assets were a 2022 Tesla Model X and a home in Tampa.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6. Switlyk is facing a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for each count.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Roberts.