FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Broward County judge has granted convicted felon and Miami Gardens pastor Eric Readon’s request to end his community control sentence early, converting the remaining portion of his sentence to probation and removing him from the most restrictive form of court supervision imposed in the case.
According to Broward County court records, Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra approved the modification last Thursday, after Readon’s attorney filed a motion arguing that the restrictions of community control made it difficult for Readon, 50, to perform his duties as pastor of New Beginning Love Center in Miami Gardens.
Community control is an intensive form of supervised custody often described as house arrest.
The ruling comes about one year after Readon was adjudicated guilty on two counts of first degree grand theft in Broward County and sentenced to two years of community control followed by probation extending through May 2037.
The Broward case
Court records show prosecutors originally charged Readon with organized fraud, two counts of first degree grand theft and unlawful filing of false documents.
On May 1, 2025, Kollra granted a state motion to revoke Readon’s bond and ordered him remanded into custody, according to court records.
Less than a month later, on May 23, 2025, Readon entered no contest pleas to two counts of first degree grand theft. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the organized fraud and unlawful filing of false documents charges.
Court records show Kollra adjudicated Readon guilty on both grand theft counts and sentenced him to two years of community control followed by nearly 11 years of probation.
According to court records, Readon was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to a victim through monthly installments.
Court records further state that Readon must complete all community control requirements, serve at least five years of probation and pay all restitution before becoming eligible for any future early termination of supervision.
The court’s May 2026 order converting community control to probation does not eliminate those requirements.
What investigators alleged
The criminal case stemmed from allegations involving the transfer of ownership of a property.
According to a Broward Sheriff’s Office probable cause affidavit, Detective Leonard Charla alleged that Readon and co-defendant Joseph Riley worked together in a scheme involving a property located at 12455 SW 20th St. in Davie.
According to the affidavit, the property owner told investigators she expected to receive payment as part of a real estate transaction but never received money she believed she was owed.
The affidavit states investigators reviewed property records, text messages, witness statements, notarization records and civil deposition testimony during the investigation.
According to investigators, a warranty deed recorded in Broward County had been altered after it was signed and notarized.
According to the affidavit, a warranty deed and quitclaim deed were recorded on Jan. 22, 2019, by Joseph Riley as an authorized representative of Worldwind Investment LLC and Black Rain City Capital Investment LLC. The affidavit states investigators identified Readon as being associated with those entities.
The affidavit further alleges that neither Readon nor Riley participated in a legitimate closing with the property owner and that ownership of the property was transferred without payment being made to the victim.
The case was filed in Broward County in 2022 and remained pending for more than three years before being resolved through the 2025 plea agreement.
A second criminal case
The Broward conviction is not Readon’s only criminal matter.
In a separate Miami-Dade County case, court records show Readon pleaded guilty in June 2025 to exploitation of an elderly person involving retired postal worker Edward Fuller.
Court records show Readon surrendered to the Miami-Dade County Jail on July 15, 2025, and served nearly a year in custody. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail followed by 15 years of probation and was ordered to pay $180,000 in restitution.
That case stemmed from a Local 10 News investigation that began in 2017.
History with Local 10
Local 10 News has conducted extensive investigative reporting on Readon’s business practices, real estate dealings and legal disputes dating back to 2017.
Readon filed a lawsuit against WPLG alleging that Local 10’s investigative reporting damaged his reputation and sought $50 million in damages.
Court records show the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The dismissal was later upheld on appeal.
Subsequent court proceedings resulted in the Third District Court of Appeal ordering Readon and his attorneys to pay $73,372.29 in attorney’s fees and costs to WPLG.
As of Kollra’s May 28 order, Readon is no longer serving community control.
Court records show he remains on probation in the Broward case through May 2037.
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