Rental scam suspect posed as agent

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - Investigators with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office say there may be additional victims connected to a scam involving a Destin man who posed as a real estate agent and rented out vacant homes without the owners’ knowledge.

William Richard Slattery, III, 40, is charged with multiple counts of racketeering and posing as an unlicensed real estate broker.

Deputies say Slattery, working under the name SGI Services, leased out vacant or abandoned homes on Quail Lake Boulevard, Harborwind Court and Cypress Street. In some cases, the homeowners, who knew nothing of the rentals, were filing for bankruptcy and the homes were in foreclosure.

Investigators say there may be additional victims in the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 850-609-2094.