Traffic Crash Leads to Arrest of Man Accused in $118,000 Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Hotel Renovations

by Ryan Yousefi October 16, 2026

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A traffic crash in Sunrise led police to a man wanted for more than three years in connection with an alleged fraud scheme involving forged checks, suspicious bank withdrawals and hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable home-improvement invoices.

According to Sunrise Police Department arrest records, James Robert Gilbert, 43, of Lauderhill, was arrested on October 12 after a Sunrise police officer investigating a crash along West Oakland Park Boulevard discovered an outstanding warrant charging him with scheme to defraud, grand theft, uttering a forged instrument and criminal use of personal identification information.

According to court records, the warrant stemmed from a 2023 Lauderhill Police Department investigation into 18 allegedly forged checks deposited into a Bank of America business account in 2022.

Investigators alleged the checks, totaling $118,962.29, were made payable to a business identified as Headless LLC. According to the arrest warrant, investigators found that many of the funds were transferred through Zelle to accounts linked to other individuals, and additional withdrawals occurred at Bank of America ATMs.

Investigators said Gilbert presented handwritten invoices claiming his company completed extensive renovation work, including more than $254,000 in improvements at Miami’s Arlo Wynwood hotel. The invoices described tiling 30 bathrooms and replacing sinks between November and December 2022. However, the hotel’s project manager told detectives she knew nothing about Gilbert’s company and confirmed that none of the described work had been performed.

Police also investigated a separate $14,562 renovation invoice tied to a nonexistent address in Davie.

After the investigation, investigators issued an arrest warrant. More than three years later, they found the outstanding warrant during an unrelated traffic stop in Sunrise.

Gilbert was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail.

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Author Profile

Ryan Yousefi: Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiple outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.