BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A West Boca Raton man who worked as a closing agent for a Boca Raton title company is accused of stealing more than $4 million from his employer’s escrow accounts, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say Michael Mansueto, 42, carried out the scheme while employed by Bankers Title Company in Boca Raton, diverting company funds for personal use and leaving at least one homebuyer’s transaction unfinished when money that should have been sent to a mortgage company was not transferred.
The investigation began when the owner of Bankers Title Company, Austin Kazinet, was contacted by a couple who said Mansueto had failed to send funds to the mortgage company for their home purchase. That complaint led Kazinet to retain a law firm to review Mansueto’s transactions. What followed, according to the sheriff’s office report, was a wider look at company records that uncovered what investigators described as a broader pattern involving company money, personal expenses, and transfers linked to Mansueto’s financial accounts.
The case centers on escrow accounts, which title companies use to hold funds connected to real estate transactions. Those accounts are supposed to be handled for specific closings and disbursements. In this case, investigators say money was instead moved out for uses unrelated to company business.
According to the sheriff’s office report, one of the transactions took place in 2022, when Mansueto transferred $77,000 from his employer’s escrow account to Expert Roofing Services to pay for a roof replacement at his home in the 17800 block of Southwick Way in the Stonebridge Country Club community in West Boca Raton.
Investigators said the roofing company confirmed the payments were made on behalf of Michael and Jane Mansueto. The report also states that records showed the homeowners had previously received $90,000 from an insurance claim tied to the roof.
Authorities said Mansueto also used company funds to cover overdue homeowner association fees. Records from Bankers Title Company showed that $61,373.29 was sent to Stonebridge Country Club in December 2021 and applied to the Mansuetos’ account after they had received past-due notices and notice of a pending lien on the property.
The sheriff’s office report says the law firm’s review expanded beyond those payments and identified transactions involving Mansueto’s credit card and PayPal accounts. Kazinet told investigators he believes more than $4 million may have been taken from the company’s escrow account.
That part of the case now extends beyond Palm Beach County. According to the report, the records were turned over to the FBI, which is conducting an investigation.
Mansueto has been charged with grand theft over $100,000 and organized scheme to defraud involving property valued at $50,000 or more. He was booked into jail, where bond was set at $500,000.
The criminal case is now in the hands of prosecutors and the court system, while the federal investigation continues. The charges filed so far focus on the theft and fraud allegations described in the sheriff’s office report. The FBI’s involvement signals that the financial review may continue beyond the initial arrest.
For Boca Raton and West Boca residents, the case puts attention on how much responsibility title and closing agents hold when handling real estate money. Escrow accounts are used in routine home purchases and refinances, and the money moving through them is often substantial. In this case, investigators say funds that should have been protected for closings and other legitimate business purposes were instead diverted for personal bills tied to a private residence.
What happens next will likely come in two tracks: the local criminal prosecution already underway in Palm Beach County, and the separate FBI investigation into the company records that were turned over after the internal review.
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