Robin Bell of Inverness sentenced to 25 years for stealing ex-husband's retirement funds

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

Inverness (Citrus County), Florida - On Wednesday morning, October 16, 2024, 58 year-old Robin Joanna Bell, of Inverness, was sentenced in circuit court following a guilty verdict by a jury on June 20, 2024, on numerous charges relating to stealing her ex-husband's retirement funds. This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Patsey Jacobs and Tara Hartman.

The judge, Honorable Joel D. Fritton, sentenced Bell to 25 years for grand theft of more than $100,000, 20 years for two counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information, 20 years for witness tampering, and 5 years for forgery of a public record, with the sentences to be served concurrently (simultaneously). Following her prison term, Bell will be placed on probation for 15 years. She was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $153,000.

"In today's sentencing, we acknowledge the serious consequences of financial crimes that erode trust and devastate lives. The defendant's actions have stolen not only her ex-husband's retirement savings, but also his sense of security after a lifetime of dedicated service to his community," said Bill Gladson, State Attorney for Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court. "While justice has been served, it is important to recognize that no prison sentence can restore what has been taken from him. This case serves as a reminder, that betrayal, especially by those we once trusted, carries significant repercussions."

In July 2021, the victim reported to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office that Bell, the victim's ex-wife, had committed fraud by filing forged documents, against a court order, to obtain retirement benefits.

In 2015, when the victim and Bell were finalizing their divorce, Bell had requested half of the victim's retirement. At the time, the victim was retired and receiving retirement benefits, and Bell was not retired. The victim agreed to Bell's request to receive the victim's retirement benefits, on the condition that the victim 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 Bell and her ex-spouse each legally entitled to half of the other's retirement benefits.

With this new court order, Bell began receiving half of the victim's retirement benefits.

By December 2020, the victim received notice that Bell had retired, and as a result, he contacted the Florida Retirement System to begin receiving half of Bell's retirement benefits. The victim was surprised, when informed by the Florida Retirement System, that the agency had received a document that contained the victim's signature, signing over all rights of Bell's retirement account to Bell. A second document had also been provided to the Florida Retirement System by Bell, for the same purpose. The second document was not notarized, but it had the signature of a witness. As a result of this information, the victim contacted the Citrus County Sheriff's Office to file a report of what had transpired with Bell's retirement account.

Detective Thomas Dowling investigated the case and discovered that the notary stamp on the document was fraudulent. Despite attempts to contact Bell and her attorney, he received no response from them. Detective Dowling sought the assistance of Agent Bruce Arnold with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who located the witness who confirmed that the second document was, indeed, forged.

On January 1, 2023, Citrus County Sheriff's Office 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.