Inverness woman found guilty of charges related to stealing ex-spouse's retirement money

State Attorney's Office, Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties

Citrus County, Florida - On June 20, 2024, 58 year-old Robin Joanna Bell of Inverness, Florida was found guilty of numerous crimes that were discovered during an investigation into claims made against her by her former spouse. Bell was found guilty of grand theft of more than $100,000, two counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information, forgery of a public record, and witness tampering.

This case was prosecuted by assistant state attorneys Patsey Jacobs and Tara Hartman. The date of her sentencing has not yet been released.

"Theft, particularly when it's from someone who was once close to you, can be devastating," said State Attorney Bill Gladson, "Let this serve as a reminder, that cheating, stealing and deceiving victims, for your benefit, will not go unchecked in Citrus County. Protecting our most vulnerable population is a top priority for this office."

In July 2021, the victim reported to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) that their former spouse, Ms. Bell, had committed fraud by filing forged documents to obtain retirement benefits against a court order.

In 2015, when the victim and Bell were finalizing their divorce, Bell - who was not retired at the time - requested that she receive half of the victim's retirement benefits. The victim was already retired and receiving retirement benefits. The victim agreed to Ms. Bell's request to receive half of her spouse's retirement benefits, but only if her ex-spouse would receive half of Bell's retirement when she retired.

A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) was filed, and the judge finalized the terms, with each legally entitled to half the retirement of the other person. With this new court order, Bell began to receive half of the victim's retirement benefits.

When the victim received notice that Ms. Bell had retired, around December 2020, the victim contacted the Florida Retirement System (FRS) to begin receiving half of her benefits. The victim was informed that the FRS had received a notarized document, with the victim's signature on it, that signed over all rights of the account to Ms. Bell. A second document had also been provided to the FRS by Ms. Bell for the same purpose; this document had a witness's signature, but was not notarized.

As a result, the victim contacted the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) to file a report.

CCSO Detective Thomas Dowling spoke with the victim and reviewed the documents that supported the victim's claim. Detective Dowling met with the notary indicated on the notary stamp of the notarized document. The notary stated they had never notarized the document for Bell and believed it to be a fraudulent document.

Detective Dowling attempted to speak with Bell, who advised him that he would need to speak with her attorney. When he heard nothing from Bell or her attorney and he was unable to locate the witness of the document believed to be forged, Detective Dowling contacted Agent Bruce Arnold of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for assistance. After a period of time slightly longer than a month, Agent Arnold located the witness, who agreed to meet with him for an interview.

During the interview, the witness stated they had never seen or signed the document provided to the FRS by Ms. Bell. Probable cause was established for a warrant to be issued for Bell's arrest.

On January 1, 2023, CCSO deputies placed Bell under arrest on the charges listed above, with the exception of the witness tampering charge. While she was out of jail on bond, Bell attempted to have the victim drop the charges against her, and she was additionally charged with witness tampering.