Keith Oelerich, a 62-year-old resident of Apopka, has been sentenced to five years and five months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed also ordered the forfeiture of $17,964,680, which represents the proceeds from the wire fraud offense. Oelerich pleaded guilty on September 22, 2025. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
According to court records, Oelerich owned Empire Sheds and More, LLC, a portable storage shed company. In December 2018, he entered into an agreement with a loan financing company that allowed Empire Sheds to submit rent-to-own contracts between the company and its customers for sheds. The financing company would pay Empire Sheds the purchase price of each shed upfront while customers were required to make monthly payments under these agreements.
Between December 2018 and September 2023, Oelerich used other people’s personal information to create over a thousand fraudulent rent-to-own agreements for sheds that mostly did not exist. These false contracts were submitted to the financing company, resulting in payments totaling nearly $18 million to Oelerich based on fictitious sales.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko is handling the forfeiture proceedings.
"This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko," according to the press release.
