Orange Co. woman accused of timeshare fraud

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County woman was arrested on charges of timeshare fraud and unlicensed telemarketing, state officials said.

Michelle Lee, 42, was arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail on Friday, but has since bonded out, officials said.

Lee was investigated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The agency said it received complaints from six different people regarding Gateway Timeshare Consolidators, a business which is owned by Lee, according to investigators.

The complaints stemmed from alleged unsolicited phone calls made by Gateway Timeshare Consolidators. Officials said representatives from the company called timeshare owners to notify them that they had a buyer for their property. The timeshare owners were told that they needed to make a payment for closing costs and legal fees in order to complete the sale.

Investigators said the owners' timeshares were never sold and they never received a check for the sale. According to officials, Lee's business scammed the victims out of roughly $14,500.

Additionally, officials said Michelle Lee and her business were unlicensed to conduct commercial telephone solicitation.

WFTV