VALRICO, Fla. — A Hillsborough County homeowner says contractors hired by her mortgage company entered her home without her permission, and surveillance video shows one of them walking through the house armed with a handgun.
AnnaMaria DeCicco says the trouble began after her father died and left her his home, which was tied to a reverse mortgage.
While she fought foreclosure in court, she says the mortgage company sent "property preservation" contractors to maintain the yard and secure the home.
"I returned to the home, as I tried to do pretty regularly, to make sure there's no squatters and nothing has happened," DeCicco said.
When DeCicco checked on the house in early March, she found the door unlocked and the home ransacked.
"I went up to the door and tried the knob and turned the knob a little bit to put the key in and the door was already unlocked," DeCicco said.
Homeowner installs hidden cameras after break-in, captures contractors on video
DeCicco contacted her attorney, Matt Weidner, who advised her to set up surveillance cameras throughout the property — including inside the home.
"Matt's advice when I called him about it was go get cellular trail cams and post them over every single aspect of your property and one inside your home," DeCicco said.
Within days, DeCicco received an alert.
Video she shared — which is now cited in a lawsuit — shows a couple accompanied by a small child discussing how they plan to get inside the home.
"We can go inside. The work order wants property condition photos," a woman is
heard saying in the video.
"We can go in the sliding glass door. I'll put on there that it's unsecured," the woman
continues.
Minutes later, an interior camera captured a man walking through the home with a handgun, clearing each room.
"There's a video of a gentleman walking through the home with a gun. He's got no right to be there. He was not invited by the homeowner," Weidner said.
"Banks hire these subcontractors, these freelancers, and they make their way into people's houses. It's a dangerous situation," Weidner said.
Separate recordings from DeCicco's cameras suggest the contractors had been inside the home on prior occasions.
In one recording, a woman is heard saying: "The old man's ashes are gone. And
somebody's been going through this."
Deputy responds but declines to trespass contractors from property
After receiving another alert, DeCicco called 911 and a Hillsborough County deputy met her at the home.
While the deputy was inside, the contractors arrived again.
"We have work orders for it, of course. You can contact my manager. You can contact the bank," a woman contractor told the deputy.
DeCicco asked the deputy to trespass the contractors from the property.
"I want them trespassed from here," DeCicco said.
"You can't trespass me," the contractor responded.
The deputy declined, saying the contractors were there on behalf of the bank, and left shortly after.
"Oh what? Oh, he's just gonna [expletive] leave?" DeCicco said as the patrol car pulled away.
During a separate encounter, the female contractor told DeCicco that property
preservation work carries serious personal risks.
"I've been stabbed in the neck. They missed my carotid artery by a half an inch. So my husband goes in properties before me because I don't want to take that chance. Unfortunately, sometimes my son is with me on jobs," the woman said.
Lawsuit targets reverse mortgage company and property preservation contractor
Weidner is also representing DeShawn and Ashlee Williams in a separate lawsuit.
Their case claims their home in Shore Acres — left vacant due to hurricane damage — was entered by a different group of property preservation contractors.
DeShawn, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, claims in the lawsuit that contractors removed a game-worn Jersey and helmet from his home and listed them for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
We asked him what those items meant to him.
"A lot because, you know, it's my hard work. Something that I can pass down to my son," DeShawn said.
In DeCicco's case, Weidner is suing the reverse mortgage company and the property preservation company.
The lawsuit includes photos of the contractors inside the home and alleges they "failed to obtain a court order authorizing access" and that their actions were "done negligently... with gross disregard" for DeCicco's rights.
"The mortgage company does not own your house. You own the house, and how dare they be sending people in to do anything to the house when the bank doesn't own it," Weidner said.
Share Your Story with Adam
Adam Walser has spent more than a decade fighting for what’s right in Tampa Bay as part of the I-Team. He’s helped expose flaws in Florida’s eldercare system and held leaders accountable for questionable HOA practices. Reach out to Adam with any issue you think he needs to investigate.
.
Urgent plea for rare blood donors to help save Florida teen's life
Gigi Felix needs very specific donors to help save her life. She has an inherited blood disorder.
