Squatter, 37, sentenced to 40 years in prison for illegally taking ownership of PCB condo

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A squatter who illegally took over a local condo received a four-decade prison sentence.

According to a press release from the State Attorney's Office of the 14th Judicial Circuit, 37-year-old Olandis Hobbs was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 40 years in prison. He was found guilty earlier this month of using false documents to take ownership of an approximately $700,000 condo in the Panama City Beach area.

"I hope this sends a strong message," State Attorney Larry Basford said in the release. "Do not come to Northwest Florida and try to steal people's identifications and/or property by squatting because we will not tolerate this."

Hobbs' 40-year sentence includes 25 years for fraudulent use of personal identification information and 15 years for grand theft over $100,000. He also faces 30 years of probation.

During his trial, evidence showed that Hobbs filed fraudulent paperwork in late 2022 with the Bay County Clerk of Circuit Court to transfer ownership of a PCB area condo to himself. The property is legally owned by an 85-year-old woman and her children.

Hobbs has committed similar acts in other places, like New York, and he was sued but never arrested.

"This might be your first significant conviction, but it is a doozy," a statement from Judge Dustin Stephenson to Hobbs listed in the release said. "You stole rest from the sunset of someone's life and should be punished for it."

Past reports note that after fraudulently assuming the condo, Hobbs changed its locks and notified condo management officials that there had been a change in ownership. The legal owners, who live out of state, were notified of the changes by a maid.

Earlier coverage of this case: Squatter, 37, found guilty of illegally taking ownership of $700,000 PCB condo

The Panama City Beach Police Department served a search warrant and arrested Hobbs on Jan. 13, 2023.

"The minimum sentence required by law was 10 years," the state attorney's news release reads. "Stephenson said there are matters of forgiveness and matters of justice, and forgiveness is not (his to give, but) justice is."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Squatter, 37, sentenced to 40 years in prison for illegally taking ownership of PCB condo