Anna Maria Island Realtor sentenced for mail fraud

TAMPA -- Michael Carleton, a real estate agent convicted of cheating dozens of would-be Anna Maria Island vacationers out of deposits on rental properties, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday sentenced Carleton, 53, for his Nov. 25 conviction on mail fraud charges. The court also placed a $200,000 monetary judgment against Carleton. That is the amount of money he took in from his fraudulent activities.

Carleton, a Bradenton resident, is required to pay restitution totaling $136,098.96 to his victims.

According to court documents, Carleton's business, Coast Line Accommodations, inked over 70 vacation rental contracts with clients between 2012 and 2013. The contracts called for the renters to pay deposits or rent prior to taking possession of the properties. All the properties were located on Anna Maria Island.

Carleton often double-booked those units and "would and did refuse to return the prepaid rental deposit when the renters were unable to utilize the vacation rental property due to the defendant's actions."

Some victims did receive refunds after threatening to or actually contacting the properties' owners or the Holmes Beach Police Department.

The case was investigated

by the U.S. Postal Investigative Service after Carleton had been charged with similar crimes in Manatee County. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Carleton had originally been scheduled to stand trial on a charge of unlicensed real estate activity in Manatee County circuit court. That trial was canceled in 2014 after federal investigators began looking into the mail fraud.

Carleton has been in legal trouble for some time. He lost two Manatee County lawsuits in 2013 after two of his real estate clients accused him of taking their down payments, then not closing deals on properties they wanted to buy. He lost a total of almost $200,000 in judgments in the two suits.

Also that year, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation suspended Carleton's real estate license.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Anna Maria Island Realtor sentenced for mail fraud ."