Businessman arrested for swindling $1.5 million

Owner of a company A pool builder in Florida He was arrested on Tuesday cheating According to charges brought by the prosecutor’s office, about 140 clients who had saved up over the years were robbed of $1.5 million, with no swimming pool and patios.

According to the press conference, James Evan Staten, Jr.From the Bay Area TampaOn the west coast FloridaHe used the money given by his victims for his personal life starting in 2020, including thousands of dollars spent on Super Bowl tickets.

Staten Jr. was arrested today by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

The charges filed against its owner and operator Olympus Pools CoBasically TampaMore than 1.5 million residents were cheated Florida Staten Jr. was charged with “aggravated white-collar crimes, organized scheme to defraud, grand larceny and contractor fraud” in areas including Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Polk counties.

“Its owner Pools of Olympus “He misled his customers by demanding large down payments, abandoning job sites, destroying backyards and trying to fix the mess without the money for customers,” state Attorney General Ashley Moody said in filing the criminal charges.

“For many people, saving enough money to buy a swimming pool takes years of dreaming and hard work, but for affected customers,” added Moody. Pools of OlympusHis dream turned into a nightmare.

According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, Pools of Olympus Allegedly defrauded clients of thousands of dollars through personal check, credit card, cash or financing under the assumption that work would be completed in a reasonable time frame.

Later, Staton deposited the expenses into company accounts and then transferred the money to a personal account for personal expenses, he explained.

According to Mark Prudnell, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agent in charge of the investigation, 140 victims of the fraud were identified.

“These victims trusted James Staten to build one of their dreams, and some paid in full using their life savings or retirement funds. But few pools have ever been completed,” Prudnell added in the statement.

“Instead, Staten stole these victims’ hard-earned money and used it for personal vacations and Superbowl tickets,” he said.