The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on June 4, 2019 in a Facebook post: A Florida millionaire was arrested after admitting to burying more than 700 bodies on his property. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"pants- fire\\"](\\" * Crime * Facebook Fact-checks * Viral image ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke June 25, 2019 # No, a Florida man didn’t admit to burying hundreds of bodies on his property An Area Florida Man is at it again, according to a recent Facebook post about the arrest of a Naples, Fla., resident. But Jerry Richards, 73, is a fictional Florida man. Which is probably why this post, shared more than 3,600 times, was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The post appears to be a screenshot of a story that appeared on Empire News, a website intended \"for entertainment purposes only,\" according to its \"About\" page, and \"uses only fictional names, except in cases of public figures and celebrity parody or satirization.\" The story appears under the headline: \"Florida millionaire arrested after authorities discover over 700 bodies buried in his backyard.\" #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 30, 2024 in a post \"Samsung drops out of $1 billion advertising campaign with Olympics.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 2, 2024 The fake article, dated June 30, 2018, says a neighbor saw Richards \"very obviously burying a body behind his house\" and that police had already exhumed 587 bodies \"in varying states of decay.\" On Facebook, many users posted comments calling out the post’s credibility. But others seemed convinced, and the image that appeared on the social media platform included the words \"now this is crazy\" with frowning emojis. That seems designed to lead people to believe the story is authentic. Fortunately for Florida Men everywhere, it’s not. We rate this post Pants on Fire! #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, June 4, 2019 Empire News, \"Florida millionaire arrested after authorities discover over 700 bodies buried in his backyard,\" June 30, 2018 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 2, 2024 in a Threads post: Photo shows Vice President Kamala Harris “in the 90s.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 27, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Kurt Russell forms a new non-woke actors alliance with Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 23, 2024 in an X post: Photo of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt was generated by artificial intelligence. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 8, 2024 in a Threads post: “Elon Musk is going to expose Bill Gates soon, says ‘he’s evil.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 6, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Gordon Ramsay calls Tim Walz a ‘woke creep,’ throws him out of Hell’s Kitchen.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 7, 2024 in a Threads post: Photo shows Elton John wearing a “MAGA” jacket. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 30, 2024 in a Facebook post: Video shows tornadoes in Canada. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ![](\\" 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going to expose Bill Gates soon, says ‘he’s evil.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 6, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Gordon Ramsay calls Tim Walz a ‘woke creep,’ throws him out of Hell’s Kitchen.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 7, 2024 in a Threads post: Photo shows Elton John wearing a “MAGA” jacket. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 12, 2024 ### No, a Florida man didn’t admit to burying hundreds of bodies on his property * ![](\\" ![](\\" Robert Cowles stated on July 12, 2024 in Radio address: “The most recent State Budget increased funding for the Department of Tourism by 98 percent.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By D.L. 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A Florida millionaire was arrested after admitting to burying more than 700 bodies on his property