The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested 16 people on multiple charges during Operation Freelancer VIII, an undercover operation to protect citizens from unlicensed contractors.
Detectives worked with the Sarasota County Building Department, the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to contact individuals advertising home repair services that require a license to complete. As subjects arrived at the target residence in Sarasota County last week, the DBPR database was checked to determine if they were licensed, registered as a contractor, and/or had the required workers compensation coverage or exemption to perform the work they proposed to do.
In all, the operation resulted in 16 felony charges and 32 misdemeanor charges. One of the defendants, Andrew Wheeler is a convicted felon with dozens of prior charges including for Burglary, Forgery, Fraud, Dealing in Stolen Property, Vehicle Theft and more. The following individuals were arrested during the three-day operation:
- Tarek Bader, DOB 11/15/59, of 309 Orange Grove Avenue South, Nokomis, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Eric Barbera, DOB 05/27/59, of 2269 Lakewood Drive, Nokomis, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Peter Blackburn, DOB 01/05/59, of 8120 Glenbrooke Place, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Lawrence Corrente, DOB 01/01/55, of 1255 Rosedale Road, Venice, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Dennis Delfauro, DOB 03/13/92, of 3650 Woodmont Drive, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Moises Gonzalez, DOB 08/05/72, of 2911 North Lockwood Ridge Road, Lot 20, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Claude Goulet, DOB 02/21/64, of 5200 State Road 776, Venice, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Markel Hasankolli, DOB 07/07/80, of 6671 Willow Creek Circle, Unit 304, North Port, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Constantine Mamakos, DOB 06/02/62, of 4328 Kingston Loop, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Fredrick Moscato, DOB 03/10/60, of 4507 67th Street West, Unit C, Bradenton, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Frank Troia, Jr., DOB 02/16/56, of 5407 17th Street Court East, Bradenton, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Kevin Warren, DOB 03/06/70, of 13090 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Andrew Wheeler, DOB 03/11/89, of 800 Signal Pointe Circle, Unit 103, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- James White, DOB 06/10/58, of 6112 Hoffman Street, North Port, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
- Jason Worley, DOB 09/15/75, of 4105 79th Street West, Bradenton, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.
Since 2012, the sheriff’s office has assigned detectives to investigate claims against people who engage in contracting work without proper licenses, permits or certification. A first offense usually results in a civil citation by code enforcement, but subsequent violations lead to misdemeanor or felony criminal charges. The defendants also receive a cease and desist order from the State of Florida.
“Maintenance operations like these should be a good reminder for consumers to always seek licensed contractors to perform work on their homes or businesses,” said Sheriff Tom Knight. “Consumers are exposing themselves to financial and physical risk by allowing these people to enter their home, unlicensed, and in some cases, with criminal histories. Not only does this illegal activity pose a threat to consumers, but it also directly effects legitimate business owners operating within the parameters of the law.”
“With the help of our local law enforcement partners, DBPR is committed to removing unlicensed contractors and giving our citizens the confidence that the construction work will be done honestly and according to professional standards,” said DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears. “I commend the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work during Operation Freelancer to protect consumers against these bad actors.”
Florida law establishes rules and guidelines for obtaining professional licensure, and the people who have met these requirements are held to professional standards. Consumers can verify licenses with the DBPR online at www.myfloridalicense.com, by calling 850.487.1395, or downloading the free DBPR Mobile app through iTunes or the Google Play store.
To check a Sarasota County license, call the Customer Service and Permit Center at 941.861.6678 or 941.861.3029. To report someone you suspect is acting as an unlicensed contractor or performing work without a permit, call 941.861.5000. For more information visit https://www.scgov.net/government/planning-and-development-services/building.