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Gainesville woman accuses advisors of fraud tied to Celebration Pointe loans

By Sebastian Broche

June 9, 2025 at 3:37 PM EDT

A Gainesville woman is suing her former business partners and financial advisors for allegedly scamming her out of millions of dollars.

Patti Shively says Viking Companies LLC misused more than $300 million in loans involved with the Celebration Pointe shopping plaza.

In court documents, she also alleges her advisor, close friend, and managing partner at Koss Olinger, saw her as an easy mark.

According to the Gainesville Sun, the project filed for bankruptcy in March 2024.

However, Shively contributed over $15 million more to the project since the lawsuit was filed.

She says she never saw a return on her investments and now owes hundreds of millions in loans.

Koss Olinger has not yet commented on the situation.