Ex-Lee Co. deputy charged with faking wife’s...

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A former Lee County deputy accused of escaping jail after being arrested for DUI is now under investigation after detectives say he forged his estranged wife's signature on insurance documents for a $94,000 claim and having them falsely notarized.

Detectives began investigating Matthew Curbelo on March 10, 2025 after his estranged wife reported he had signed her name on insurance claim documents without her knowledge or consent. She said they have been estranged since January 17, 2023.

According to investigation documents obtained by Fox 4, detectives say Curbelo forged his wife's signature on a sworn statement for an insurance proof of loss document, had it notarized without her present, and submitted the document to his public adjuster. The report says the couple had a domestic violence injunction in place at the time of the alleged forgery.

In addition to the forgery allegations, detectives say Curbelo reportedly secured a $13,000 insurance check for roof repairs related to Hurricane Ian damage, which he kept but failed to use for the intended repairs.

Documents say the detective tried to interview the notary multiple times, but said she wanted to see the documents first and that her attorney would contact the detective. When an attorney did call, the attorney told the detective he was not retained by the notary, according to documents.

The police report says the notary was brought to the State Attorney's Office under a motion to compel and she was sworn in before an interview.

The notary involved is a tourist tax consultant for the Lee Clerk of Courts Office, documents say. She said her notary was obtained and maintained through the Clerk of Courts of her duties with the Lee Clerk of Courts.

Fox 4 is not naming the notary at this time because she has not been charged with a crime.

According to court documents, she admitted to investigators that she notarized the documents, despite never meeting Curbelo's wife and without the wife being present during the notarization.

"I only quickly reviewed Matthew's documents and did not discuss the documents with him further, and I did not ask any additional questions," the notary told investigators.

The woman said she signed another document in September or August, possibly about another insurance document, but she couldn’t recall.

The woman told detectives that Curbelo worked with her soon-to-be son-in-law at the Lee County Jail, and they arranged the notarization through her husband.

Florida law states: "A notary public may not notarize a signature on a document unless he or she personally knows, or has satisfactory evidence, that the person whose signature is to be notarized is the individual who is described in and who is executing the instrument."

Documents say the Department of State told the detective notaries are not require day law to maintain a log, and if they do, it would be retained by that notary. Detectives contacted the Inspector General’s office of the Clerk of Courts. A representative told detectives, according to the report, that the Clerk of Courts does reimburse the notary for maintaining her notary license, but the office does not require her to keep a log of her notary duties.

The notary confirmed she did not have a log.

When investigators contacted the public adjuster, he said he was approached by an unidentified friend who asked him to help Curbelo with the insurance claim process due to Hurricane Ian.

The adjuster told detectives he had no knowledge of the $94,000 claim and "seemed baffled" when asked about it. He explained that when he met with Curbelo, his wife was not present to sign the public adjuster contract.

"At that time, Matthew took the contract back and returned it later with his wife signature; therefore, he was unable to verify if Amanda actually signed the contract," the adjuster said.

After Curbelo received a $13,000 claim for the roof repairs, communication stopped, leading the attorney to withdraw the $94,000 claim, the adjuster explained in court documents.

Curbelo's wife confirmed to detectives on March 12 that she did not sign the public adjuster contract. On May 14, after reviewing writing examples, she identified that her estranged husband had signed her name on the documents based on his writing style.

Attempts by detectives to interview Curbelo were unsuccessful, as he refused to speak and referred investigators to his attorney.

A warrant for Curbelo was signed on June 24 and he was arrested by Charlotte County deputies on July 10. Curbelo is charged with perjury when not in an official proceeding, which is a misdemeanor. He's also charged with fraudulent insurance claim, which is a second-degree felony. His bond was set a $12,500.

Curbelo is no stranger to law enforcement. He was a former deputy for the Lee County Sheriff's Office in the Corrections division until he resigned on April 30, 2025.

The former deputy has a domestic violence injunction against him, stemming from a December 2024 court case.

Then, he was arrested for DUI on June 12, 2025 around 2 a.m. According to a police report, Curbelo was going 63 mph in a 25 mph zone in Babcock Ranch. When he was pulled over, deputies say they smelled alcohol coming from the car.

After a field sobriety test, deputies arrested Curbelo for DUI.

Curbelo was booked into the Lee County Jail and just four hours later, another police report says Curbelo escaped.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office previously said in a statement that Curbelo used his knowledge of the Lee County jail to briefly escape custody following his arrest for DUI.

Deputies say Curbelo managed to access unsecured portions of the jail while deputies were processing his release paperwork for the arrest. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Curbelo fled the building but was quickly caught nearby with assistance from the Fort Myers Police Department.

After a court appearance for both charges, he was released on bond.

Now, he's in the Charlotte County Jail for his fraud charges. Court records show he had a first appearance on Friday morning. Curbelo will be extradited to Lee County at a later date.

Fox 4 has reached out to the Lee County Clerk of Courts Office about the notary for a statement and we are waiting to hear back.

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