A woman has been arrested for allegedly renting out property that she did not own.
Rebecca Leah Braswell, 23, of Sumterville, faces fraud and theft charges after being arrested Thursday by Sumter County sheriff’s officers.
According to an arrest record from the sheriff’s office, a woman and her husband claimed to have paid Braswell $1,050 to rent a Sumterville property. An electronic lease was executed, and the pair was granted a move-in date of June 6. They planned to meet Braswell at the Tractor Supply store in Bushnell to settle the remaining. They gave her the money, but Braswell refused to turn over a key. The report stated that Braswell arrived at the exchange with a pit bull.
It was later discovered that the property’s owner was unfamiliar with Braswell and denied Braswell permission to rent out the property.
After a detective began investigating the case, Braswell called the potential renters and returned their money. She also offered an additional $200 if the couple agreed not to pursue the criminal case through law enforcement.
When a detective located Braswell, she claimed that her phone, which had been used to set up the fraudulent rental transaction, had been stolen.
Braswell was 19 years old when she was arrested for burglary in Leesburg.
After being arrested on Thursday, Braswell was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after paying a $7,500 bond.
