Florida GOP State Senate Candidate Cheryl “CJ” Blancett Busted Looting Orlando HOA. She Goes To Trial On September 23, 2024
Florida GOP State Senate candidate Cheryl “CJ” Blancett is on the ballot for the August 20th primary. Blancett faces Bowen Kou and Keith Truenow in the August primary.
She calls herself the, “Gladiator of the US Constitution” and is founder of the United Conservatives Alliance. She also touts her marriage to a “Law Enforcement Officer” on her campaign website.
Blancett is hoping to be District 13’s Republican nominee for the November election.
However, on September 23rd, she goes on trial for two counts of felony theft in Orange County’s Ninth Judicial Circuit Court.
But, if she wins the primary, will she be sitting in prison on election day in November?
Authorities accuse Blancett of stealing nearly $48,000 from an Orlando HOA. Blancett is looking at 15 years in prison. The court could also order her to pay a $20,000 fine.
Florida GOP State Senate Candidate Used The HOA Bank Account Like It Was Her Own
The arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) states Blancett used the HOA bank account as her own “personal bank account.”
Affidavit also states that she knowingly withheld records, intermingled funds, and used cash to conceal the theft. She also permanently deprive the Cypress Springs Sawgrass Estates HOA of $47,832.30.”
Police arrested Blancett in Tavares on April 17, 2023. She pleaded not guilty and was released on a $3000 bond.
Blancett’s CJ Management Solutions began managing Cypress Springs Sawgrass Estates in 2018. Cypress Springs Sawgrass Estates is a community of single family homes on the east side of Orlando. The HOA hired CJ Management Solutions to process homeowner dues and process paid HOA bills.
The HOA fired Blancett sixteen months later. Three HOA board members later stated they made numerous unfulfilled requests for expenditure reports and bank statements. Blancett never responded.
HOA board members were allegedly aware Blancett had stolen money.
However, it was only after the next property manager conducted a forensic audit that they became aware of the full scope of the theft. HOA members estimate that the HOA spent an average of $22,000 annually to run the community. But the bank records audit found $47,832.30 in unauthorized funds paid to CJ Management Solutions.
The HOA said Blancett had permission only to spend up to $500 without notifying the board for “immediately needed repairs, maintenance, or other similar needs.”
However, they later said that Blancett would spend funds as she saw fit. Nor did the HOA authorize her to withdraw any cash from the HOA account.
Florida GOP State Senate Candidate Took Advantage Of The HOA Board’s Idiotic Laziness
The Orange County arrest affidavit indicates Blancett frequently used cash far exceeding the $500 limit set by the HOA contract.
This included multiple checks made out to herself for more than $1,000. In addition, the affidavit stated that bank records show various cash withdrawals and transfers without any reasonable explanation.
Jennifer Conklin of Highland Community Management was hired as property manager in August 2019. Her first order of business was to audit the books.
That’s when the HOA realized large sums of money were missing from the HOA accounts.
Apparently, the HOA never instituted any type of formal bookkeeping system. Blancett did not maintain records. She also refused to provide expenditure reports.
As a result, it was initially difficult to confirm the amount of money that should have been spent and the amount that should have been collected in addition to the actual bank balances.
Neither the HOA president nor the treasurer seemed aware of the community expenditures. At one point, Blancett had successfully managed to close the HOA’s bank account to prevent the board members from accessing their own funds.
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