Property appraiser Singh admits he violated state constitution during campaign

ORLANDO, Fla. — New property appraiser Rick Singh admitted he violated the state constitution during his campaign, Channel 9 has learned.

9 Investigates was first to raise questions about Singh's financial reporting during his run in 2012.

The twist to the story is Singh, a man who won the job as property appraiser, is in trouble for inflating his net worth by saying he owned property that wasn't in his name.

Singh's 2011 financial disclosure indicated he owned five properties, including a Windermere home, worth a total of $1.3 million.

But Channel 9 discovered the properties were transferred into his wife's name in 2009, which means he was no longer allowed to list them as assets.

In a statement on Friday, Singh hinted his ethics complaint was politically motivated and that it capitalized on a filing error he made on his first financial disclosure form as a candidate.

He is being fined $1,000, but the punishment still has to be imposed by Gov. Rick Scott, which is expected to happen.

WFTV