RIDGE MANOR, Fla. — A Hernando County wholesale home buyer who prosecutors say was arrested while trying to purchase homes in South Florida is now facing a lawsuit from hurricane victims who claim he altered their signed real estate contract and put a lien on their property to prevent them from selling it.
Joe Fucheck, a convicted felon with a history of impersonating military veterans, has been accused of fraudulently changing a contract and misleading homeowners whose property was damaged by Hurricane Milton flooding.
The controversy began when Fucheck approached the family of Air Force veteran Timothy Clark, whose elderly mother's home in Ridge Manor was severely damaged by river flooding caused by Hurricane Milton.
“We’ll get it done quick”
The property sustained 44 to 48 inches of water inside the house.
"It was just like a big, huge lake through there," Clark said.
Fucheck initially offered the family $75,000 cash for the flood-damaged property, which they considered fair given the home's condition.
"It was $75,000. He offered us $75,000 cash quick, we'll get it done quick," Clark said.
However, the family later discovered what they claim was a second contract with the same signatures and initials, but with the purchase price reduced by half to $37,500.
"He had the same contract with everybody's signature and initials on it. And he whited out the amount and put in this other amount," Clark said.
According to the lawsuit filed by the property owners, Fucheck prepared the second contract sometime after the original was signed and only provided the altered version to the title company.
"The second one is the only one he gave to the title company. He never gave them the original," Clark said.
Attorney Chelsea Waller-Dauthard, who represents the Clark family, said Fucheck had already lined up another buyer for the property at a higher price.
"He had presented this fake contract to the title company and was trying to fraudulently purchase it for half of the original purchase price," Waller-Dauthard said.
A Facebook advertisement showed Fucheck had listed the property as a "cheap handyman special" for $99,000 before he even owned it.
"I just did a simple Google search of the property, and I found that it had been listed for sale. And none of my clients had listed it on MLS," Waller-Dauthard said.
When confronted about the alleged fraudulent contract, Fucheck filed an "Affidavit and Memorandum of Agreement" that placed a lien on the property, preventing the owners from selling to anyone else.
"He wouldn't agree to release the lien, and I eventually had to file suit against him on behalf of my clients," Waller-Dauthard said.
Purported bank statement showed Fucheck had $4 million in account
The lawsuit also included an alleged Wells Fargo business bank statement that Fucheck provided as proof that he had $4 million to complete the purchase.
The document contained formatting errors and listed an address for Fucheck's former apartment, where he had been evicted months earlier for non-payment of $3,180 in rent.
Two months after the bank statement was dated, court records show Fucheck applied for a public defender after a DUI arrest, claiming he was indigent and unable to afford an attorney.
Fucheck’s troubled past
Fucheck's criminal history includes a 2021 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The charges stemmed from a 2020 incident in Miami where he confronted a homeowner while carrying what appeared to be a gun and falsely claimed to be a decorated Navy SEAL and former SWAT team leader.
"I'm a 35-year former Navy SEAL, and I was the head of the SWAT team in Hillsborough County," Fucheck said in a video from the Miami confrontation.
Police later determined the weapon was fake, as were Fucheck's military service claims.
Detectives found forged Navy SEAL and Purple Heart certificates in his apartment, along with photos of him wearing an admiral uniform.
He was sentenced to three years of probation with the special condition that he stop impersonating a veteran.
Despite his conviction, Fucheck's current home buying company’s website features a seal that said "American Veteran."
Clark said Fucheck misrepresented his military service.
"He said he was highly decorated officer and I think in the Navy," Clark said. "He was showing me this one picture where he got all these awards supposedly."
The I-Team seeks comment
When contacted by phone, Fucheck declined an on-camera interview and would not allow his voice to be recorded.
He claimed the altered contract resulted from a misunderstanding.
Fucheck signed a release in late October, lifting the lien six months after filing it.
"I'm not sure what made him do that, but he did the right thing at the end after my clients had already spent a lot of money hiring me to clear up this title," Waller-Dauthard said.
When approached at his Hernando County rental home, Fucheck ran into the backyard upon seeing our news camera and refused to comment.
Clark, who is studying to become a minister, had strong words for Fucheck.
"Joe, you need to find another line of work, bud," Clark said. "Taking advantage of elderly people is not the way to go."
