Missing 71-year-old found dismembered in backyard of accused scammer, Florida cops say
Two men are accused of a financial fraud scheme targeting a 71-year-old man whose body was later found dismembered in one of their backyards, Florida investigators said.
Joseph Schiliro, 45, and Silviano Christman, 31, both face an array of charges, including first-degree murder, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced Feb. 24.
The charges stem from an investigation into the disappearance of 71-year-old Joseph Romano, which turned into a homicide investigation.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Romano was last seen Jan. 3, the same day Christman flew from Tampa to New York, where he was with Schiliro.
Romano was reported missing from his apartment complex in the Tampa Bay area on Jan. 16, according to investigators.
Detectives said they learned Schiliro was trying to pick up Romano’s mail from the apartment complex, then they “uncovered an ongoing financial fraud scheme, with large sums of money being transferred from the victim’s accounts to fraudulent accounts linked to Schiliro.”
Investigators searched Schiliro’s home Feb. 13 and found Romano’s dismembered remains in his backyard, deputies said.
The New York Police Department Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Christman on Feb. 20, a day before U.S. Marshals arrested Schiliro in Pinellas County, Florida.
Christman is charged with:
First-degree murder
Conspiracy to commit premeditated first-degree murder
Burglary with battery
Abuse of a dead body
Fraudulent use of personally identifiable information of a deceased person
Schiliro is charged with:
First-degree murder
Conspiracy to commit premeditated first-degree murder
Burglary with battery
Fraudulent use of personally identifiable information of a deceased person
Fraudulent use of personally identifiable information
Money laundering
Exploitation of a disabled adult
“The actions of these two men are despicable and deeply disturbing,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “Through deceit and violence, they exploited and took the life of another individual.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Missing 71-year-old found dismembered in backyard of accused scammer, Florida cops say."