A former HGTV star was sentenced today to four years in jail and ordered to pay back close to $10 million for committing real estate and financial fraud against 11 victims.
Los Gatos resident Charles “Todd” Hill, the 58-year-old star of “Flip It to Win It” was remanded to jail today, during a hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The show’s concept was that he bought dilapidated homes, fixed them up, and then sold them for a profit. Instead, Hill spent millions on overbudget remodels, laundered profits, and pocketed millions in fraudulently obtained money.
Hill was convicted last year of multiple fraud schemes, including scams perpetrated well before the show, such as a Ponzi scheme. Evidence showed that Hill spent the laundered money on a rented apartment in San Francisco, as well as hotels, vacations, and luxury cars.
“Some see the huge amount of money in Silicon Valley real estate as a business opportunity,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Others, unfortunately, see it as a criminal opportunity – and we will hold those people strictly accountable.”
Hill was indicted in November 2019, after an investigation showed he’d committed multiple frauds. On Sept. 27, 2023, he was convicted by plea of grand theft against all victims and admitted the aggravated white-collar enhancements. He was ordered to pay $9,402,678.43 in restitution and spend 10 years on probation.
In one case, he diverted construction money for his personal use.
In another instance, he created a Ponzi scheme by taking an investor’s money budgeted to buy homes and, instead, used it to live lavishly. To hide the theft, he created false balance sheets and got loans using fraudulent information.
In another case, an investor toured a home for which he had provided $250,000 for remodeling and found it to be a burnt down shell with no work done on it.
Victims who spoke at today’s hearing shared how they were still suffering financial and professional damages from the fraud, a spokesperson for the DA’s Office said.
I was a Los Gatos Police Officer for 29 years from l972 until 2001. Early in my career, I was involved with the D.A.’s office with D.A. Dennis Lempert. I happened to stop a black Ferrari driven by Chuck Hill Senior on Los Gatos Blvd. after midnight. I happened to look at the milage on the speedometer and it showed roughly 15,000 miles. Later, Mr. Hill had the speedometer turned back to 9,000 miles when he sold it.
D.A. Lempert happened to tell me about the Ferrari 9,000 miles and I told him that I saw it with 15,000miles. That was enough proof to bring charges against Chuck Hill. I dwelt with his son, Chuck “Todd” Hill when he was in high school (I was riding a police motorcycle). I stopped him several times for traffic violations including reckless driving. He tried to hide from me and I found him in underground parking with several friends in the car. He was always a problem!