JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More people are speaking about their experiences with a prominent Jacksonville entrepreneur. At least 50 people have filed police reports with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office over Janay White and her businesses.
Teaveous Robinson is an entrepreneur herself, and was looking for new business opportunities when she learned about Janay White's real-estate mentorship program.
"We were supposed to acquire the property and flip it, rehab it and sell it, and then split the profits at the end," Robinson explained.
Robinson invested $10,000 through the program. She said that went towards securing a property and renovation costs. After finally getting a home, Robinson said there were problems with the property, which caused her to put up even more of her money. She said the home was never finished and she does not know where the money went for renovations.
“I'm at a loss. I actually just did a consultation with a bankruptcy attorney. This is going to have detrimental, long lasting effects on my personal life and my credit, my bank finances, all of the above with just one decision to invest with Janay," Robinson said.
Robinson is one of dozens of people who have filed police reports about their experiences with White's businesses; however, crime and safety expert, Mark Baughman, said investigators will have their work cut out for them when it comes to building a fraud case.
"It's difficult because you got to make sure you have the acts that fall under that particular violation that you're looking at charging the individual with, and make sure that it's not a civil violation," Baughman explained.
Baughman said investigators will have to look through financial documents and bank records, and trace where the money was going. Then it is up to the State Attorney's Office to determine if the case would hold up in court.
"If it's so complicated that the prosecutor may have a hard time understanding what is being pursued by the investigators, they have to in turn convince a jury of that if it ever goes to a trial. So you really have to put some sweat equity into or some energy into, investigative power into it to get to that point, and ramp up to charging the individual," Baughman said.
When First Coast News spoke with Janay White last week, she denied the allegations against her.
Robinson is now waiting to see what happens next with investigators. While she does not believe she will get her money back, she does hope someone is held accountable.
"While I understand that there is a certain amount of risk when you go into these types of transactions, the way that it was presented to us was that the risk was minimal. And so that's what allowed me to feel comfortable investing with someone that I had never met," Robinson said.