On May 7, investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission filed charges against Rodney Edward Smith, 39, of Chatsworth, Georgia, in Gilchrist County on four felony counts related to defrauding Florida residents.
While incarcerated at Macon State Prison in Georgia for unrelated charges, Smith ran a scheme targeting Florida hunters between July 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. Using smuggled cell phones, multiple online aliases, social media profiles and dozens of phone numbers, Smith posted fraudulent hunting lease advertisements for properties he did not own or control. A hunting lease is an agreement between a landowner and a hunter allowing the hunter to access and hunt on private land.
Smith negotiated lease terms and collected deposits from victims in 15 Florida counties, defrauding Florida hunters of thousands of dollars, according to the agency.
"By offering fraudulent hunting leases, he not only stole from Florida citizens, but also damaged the trust between hunters and landowners that is essential to Florida's hunting tradition," said Lt. Col. Randy Bowlin, FWC Deputy Director of Law Enforcement over Investigations and Intelligence.
On August 16, Smith was extradited from Georgia to face charges of fraudulently offering property for sale or lease (first-degree felony), scheme to defraud less than $20,000 (third-degree felony), illegal use of a two-way communication device (third-degree felony), and cheating (third-degree felony). Bond was set at $700,000.