FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The owners of a South Florida pool company accused of ripping off hundreds of homeowners across the state will be personally liable for the money their victims lost.
Broward County Judge Michael Gates ruled Friday morning that Keith Stuart, his wife, Lynne Stuart, and his finance manager, Felicia Malia, were responsible for the "deceptive acts and practices" of their company, Nationwide Pools of Pompano Beach.
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One of Stuart's partners in a separate business is also named in the ruling. Terry Edwards opened a company called the National Construction Group, to which Stuart transferred much of Nationwide Pools assets before he shut down his pool business.
The attorney general filed a civil lawsuit against Nationwide Pools last year and froze its bank accounts after a Local 10 News investigation into Nationwide Pools.
Dozens of homeowners accused Stuart, and his company of taking their deposits and leaving them with concrete shells in their backyards. Once word about the scam got out, prosecutors said Stuart used a fake name and continued to bilk customers while working for the National Construction Group.
Stuart pleaded guilty in Martin County to two criminal counts of grand theft. His license to build pools has been revoked. During the attorney general's investigation, Stuart was also arrested in an undercover prostitution sting.
The exact amount of money Stuart and the other defendants will have to reimburse victims hasn't been determined, but in court prosecutors estimated the number is about $4 million. There will be another court hearing in the coming weeks to determine how the victims will be able to recover some or all of the money they lost.
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