HGTV Star Must Pay $9.4 Million Back and Serve 4 Years in Jail After Fraud: Details on Charles ‘Todd’ Hill’s Case

Charles “Todd” Hill, who appeared on HGTV’s Flip It to Win It, has been sentenced to four years in Santa Clara County Jail for multiple fraud schemes. He’s been accused of running a Ponzi scheme. In addition to jail time, Hill was also ordered to pay back nearly $10 million for committing real estate and financial fraud against 11 victims, PEOPLE reports per a according to a press release from the County of Santa Clara’s Office of the District Attorney. He was initially indicted in November 2019.

Last Fall, Hill admitted to grand theft with aggravated white-collar enhancements and was convicted of various scams. Some of the crimes he committed before the one-season series aired. He was ordered to pay back restitution for $9,402,678.43 and serve an additional 10 years on probation.

“Some see the huge amount of money in Silicon Valley real estate as a business opportunity,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Others, unfortunately, see it as a criminal opportunity – and we will hold those people strictly accountable.”

The press release also noted that Hill “spent millions on overbudget remodels, laundered profits, and pocketed millions in fraudulently obtained money.” He used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle of travel and material goods.

According to a show description from IMDb, the renovation competition series chronicled six teams of real estate experts as they competed against each other in an ultimate challenge. In each episode, the teams bid for abandoned houses unseen, renovated them into dream homes, and put them on the market for a higher value.