Estate Sale Operator Charged with Scheme to Defraud and Grand Theft

Our investigative team has confirmed that Erik Sanudo, operator of Tebo Estate Sales and Florida Certified Estate Sales LLC, continues to operate estate sale businesses in the state of Florida despite being arrested and charged with Scheme to Defraud and Grand Theft by the Largo Police Department in November 2024.

Background

On October 15, 2024, Largo Police Officers initiated a fraud investigation involving Erik Sanudo and his business, Tebo Estate Sales. The investigation revealed that Sanudo entered into an agreement with a victim to conduct an estate sale. Sanudo completed the sale in late September 2024 but abandoned the event mid-sale.

Per their agreement, Sanudo was entitled to 25% of proceeds. He later reported sale proceeds of $28,203 but paid the victim only $5,500 via Zelle before ceasing all communication. The outstanding balance owed to the victim: $15,652.25.

When Sanudo learned the victim was pursuing legal action, he sent an email claiming the business was closed and declaring bankruptcy.

Continued Operations Under New LLCs

Through investigative efforts, it was determined that Sanudo was still actively seeking clients and had registered Florida Certified Estate Sales LLC just days before sending the victim the email claiming he was out of business. This pattern of opening new LLCs after defrauding clients is consistent with prior complaints.

Arrest & Charges

On November 19, 2024, with the assistance of the Largo Police Special Operations Unit and Problem Oriented Policing Unit, Sanudo was taken into custody and charged with:

• Scheme to Defraud
• Grand Theft

Sanudo also had an outstanding warrant from Sarasota County for Grand Theft in a similar case involving estate sale fraud.

Platform Accountability

Despite these charges and publicly available arrest records, EstateSales.net and EstateSales.org continue to allow Sanudo to list and operate on their platforms. This raises serious questions about the vetting processes employed by these platforms and their responsibility to protect consumers from known bad actors.

Consumers who have hired estate sale operators through these platforms have a reasonable expectation that operators have been vetted for criminal history and complaints. The continued presence of a charged individual on these platforms undermines consumer trust in the estate sale industry.