Jacksonville roofers nabbed for defrauding dozens of clients

0
2080

Two brothers from Jacksonville have been accused of stealing nearly half a million dollars from dozens of roofing customers in Volusia and Flagler counties. They used the funds to pay for expensive vacations, designer gear and other personal expenses, state officials said at a news conference.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and 7th Judicial Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza announced the Feb. 4 arrests of Adolph Carlson, 44, and John Carlson, 41, in “Operation Hurricane Hustle.”

Each man was charged with two counts of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000 and both were jailed without bail, according to their arrest warrants.

Officials said the scheme was carried out from January 2016 through April 2018, They allegedly victimized more than 150 property owners in the state at a cost of more than a half million,

The brothers ran Carlson Enterprises and are accused of running scams on 58 residents who lost $455,660 for roofing work they paid for but was not completed or now face liens on homes because the Carlsons did not pay subcontractors, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

Sometimes the work was done, but after homeowners paid the Carlsons, subcontractors weren’t paid, and so properties were liened. In other situations, homeowners endorsed insurance checks tot he company and no work was done.

“These folks paid the money and received not a shred of work on their home,” Larizza said.

He said Carlson Enterprises appeared to be doing well for a time. “They were running a successful business but then they got greedy. They were robbing Peter to pay Paul. They were promising work and weren’t doing it.”

Moody said at least one of the brothers used company bank account for “extravagant personal expenses that would include airline tickets accommodations at Disney resorts and even Louis Vuitton.”

Moody said many of the victims were seniors who had already endured hurricanes Matthew and Irma and just wanted to get their roofs repaired. “But the actions of the defendants caused them to further worry about losing potentially thousands of dollars and continue living in damaged homes,” he said.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.