Four Charged After Man With Dementia Lost His Home and Cars

By Jordan Reyes. Oct 31, 2026

Four people face criminal charges after investigators alleged that a 72-year-old Florida man with severe dementia was maneuvered out of his home while others took control of his property. Authorities said the alleged scheme cost Thomas Hegarty his house, three vehicles and belongings collected over many years.

The case began when a concerned family member questioned the transfer of Hegarty’s Hollywood, Florida, residence. The Broward Sheriff’s Office and local property investigators eventually examined documents used to change control of the home, valued at more than $300,000, and traced how Hegarty had been moved to a rooming house in Miami Gardens.

Investigators allege that the people charged took advantage of Hegarty’s condition to obtain signatures on a power of attorney and warranty deed. Those documents were then used to claim a transfer of the property to a company controlled by two of the defendants. Authorities say the signatures were obtained under circumstances in which Hegarty could not understand the transaction.

A family questions the property transfer

NBC6 South Florida reported that the investigation followed a call from a relative concerned about Hegarty’s mental state and suspicious of the home’s transfer. Hollywood police and the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Crimes Against Property Unit began examining the transaction and the people involved.

According to the Sheriff’s Office account reported by NBC6, 25-year-old Brandon Lee Miguel and 25-year-old Jordy Luis Perez face multiple charges that include organized fraud, grand theft, filing false property documents, mortgage fraud, exploitation of an elderly person and money laundering. The counts are allegations, not convictions.

Authorities said that Miguel and Perez arranged for 56-year-old Monica Elizabeth Castelli to move Hegarty away from his home. Castelli was charged with kidnapping with intent to facilitate a felony and exploitation of an elderly person. A fourth defendant, 43-year-old Derek Enrique, was charged in connection with allegedly false or fraudulent acknowledgments.

CBS Miami reported that the investigators called the inquiry Operation Dirty Deed. According to authorities, Hegarty had owned the Hollywood house for approximately 25 years before the alleged transfers. Once he was moved out, investigators say the defendants gained entry to the residence and removed his possessions.

The loss went beyond the property title

CBS Miami reported that authorities said the defendants claimed to have purchased Hegarty’s house for $191,000, but Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar said investigators had found no evidence that Hegarty received payment. The same reporting described Hegarty as having been left in a rundown rooming house in Miami Gardens after losing access to the property. As of the October 26 report, authorities had not announced that Hegarty had recovered his home or possessions.

Hegarty’s relatives told local reporters that the personal loss was severe. Peggy Hegarty, his sister-in-law, said the missing property included heirlooms and possessions that could not be replaced through a simple transfer of ownership. Family members also described the disruption to his life after he was removed from his home.

Investigators said three vehicles were among the property removed. The alleged theft therefore involved more than a disputed deed: according to authorities, it included Hegarty’s home, transportation and the personal belongings inside it. The accusations will have to be tested through the criminal proceedings against each defendant.

Why investigators say he could not consent

The Sheriff’s Office said Hegarty had documented dementia. Investigators contend that his condition prevented him from understanding the legal effect of the paperwork he was persuaded to sign. That assertion is part of the authorities’ theory of exploitation and has not been established by a trial verdict.

The investigation involved both law enforcement and property-record specialists. Their roles were different but complementary: police investigated allegations of exploitation and removal from the home, while property specialists examined the documents and purported changes in legal control of the real estate.

The four defendants face different charges reflecting their alleged participation. The filings do not establish that every defendant played the same role or had the same knowledge. No reported conviction was identified in the October 26 coverage.

For Hegarty’s family, the case began with an apparent inconsistency that was difficult to ignore: a long-held home had changed hands while its elderly owner was living elsewhere. The criminal case now centers on whether the defendants exploited that vulnerability and used purported legal documents to take what belonged to him.

References: NBC6 South Florida | CBS Miami