A Florida man’s cheeky front-door message may have had more truth to it than he realized. Christopher Musick, 57, who displayed a doormat reading “come back with a warrant,” was arrested Tuesday for an alleged large-scale mortgage fraud scheme—after the local sheriff obligingly returned with a search warrant.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Musick posed as a “fake real estate investor” in Daytona Beach. A deputy snapped a photo of the defiant doormat at Musick’s home and noted the irony. “We came back with a warrant,” the office quipped.
Investigators said Musick allegedly forged documents and claimed ownership of multiple business properties throughout the county. He then allegedly took out mortgages on these properties, used the funds to acquire additional properties, rented them out, and pocketed the proceeds—never paying off the loans.
A repeat offender with ten prior convictions and two outstanding warrants in Maryland, Musick now faces charges including organized scheme to defraud, grand theft over $100,000, and forgery. He is being held on a $225,000 bond, according to Volusia County Corrections records.
Florida continues to draw headlines for its unusual crimes and colorful residents. In November, a local known as “Farmer Pete” was arrested after allegedly firing at three twenty-somethings during a heated debate over chicken egg production. In October, authorities discovered a repeat offender concealing a thermos in an extremely unconventional way while arrested on drug charges.