An Orlando man, Christopher Switlyk, has been convicted of charges related to hindering government efforts to seize his properties. Switlyk, aged 46, could face up to a decade in federal prison with his sentencing set for May 6, pending a pair of counts of property removal to prevent seizure, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The jury's verdict comes after evidence showed Switlyk still owed the government over $4 million from a forfeiture money judgment set at $10,700,592 in 2013, which followed a conviction on multiple felony offenses, during the trial, it was revealed that as of 2022, he had managed to acquire several bank accounts, properties in Daytona Beach and Tampa, and even two vehicles, though he had been previously seized of over $6 million by the government. However, the noose began to tighten when a Preliminary Order of Forfeiture for Substitute Assets was issued on November 13, 2022, by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in a bid to recover the outstanding amount.
The day following the court's order, U.S. Marshals served Switlyk's financial institutions with the mandate, freezing his accounts, prompting a reaction that led to his conviction; on November 16 and 17, 2022, Switlyk transferred a Tesla vehicle and Tampa real estate to his father, a move that, according to the U.S. Attorney's office, was distinctly aimed at obstructing the government's authority to take control of those assets.
At trial, evidence demonstrated Switlyk's intent to shield his assets from legal seizure; "when Switlyk transferred those two properties to his father, he did so with the purpose of preventing or impairing the government’s lawful authority to take the properties into its custody or control," the U.S. Attorney's Office statement poignantly highlights. The United States Marshals Service spearheaded the investigation leading to this recent conviction, with Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts handling the prosecution.
