SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — A former deputy with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested on multiple felony charges following an investigation into alleged fraud and theft involving a deceased family member’s estate, according to Sheriff Pat Breeden.
The Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that former deputy Devin Daniels was arrested after investigators determined he allegedly engaged in fraudulent conduct unrelated to his duties as a law enforcement officer.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Daniels was previously terminated following an Internal Affairs investigation that found he violated agency policies regarding fraudulent conduct and perjury connected to criminal activity in both Sumter and Volusia counties.
The investigation began on March 10, 2026, after Daniels’ family members reported concerns that he had committed fraud involving the estate of a relative who died on Jan. 31 in Daytona Beach.
Detectives say Daniels went to a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles service location inside the Sumter County Tax Collector’s Office in Bushnell on Feb. 26 and sought to transfer ownership of a vehicle that belonged to the deceased relative.
Investigators allege Daniels falsely claimed he was the sole heir to the estate and provided a death certificate along with signed documents supporting that claim.
As a result, authorities said, the vehicle title was transferred solely into his name.
However, detectives later determined the deceased relative had at least two other surviving heirs with legal interests in the estate who were actively involved in inheritance proceedings.
The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation found Daniels’ actions were part of a broader scheme intended to deprive the other heirs of their lawful property interests.
After reviewing the case, the Office of the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit authorized charges and an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday.
Daniels is charged with:
False Statement to Obtain Certificate of Title
Uttering a False Instrument
Scheme to Defraud
Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle
Authorities said Daniels voluntarily surrendered at the Sumter County Detention Center after learning of the warrant and was taken into custody without incident.
Daniels was granted a total bond of $10,000.
In a statement, Sheriff Breeden said the agency remains committed to transparency and accountability, adding that all individuals will be held accountable under the law regardless of their position or former employment with the Sheriff’s Office.
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