BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — An 85-year-old South Florida woman stood on her front lawn, looking down at the cracks in her driveway, cracks that were supposed to be fixed by now.
“It’s ugly,” she said. “It’s a mess and I hate it.”
The woman, who asked not to be identified, said she handed over a check made out to cash as requested for $4,000 to a father-and-son team who promised to make the surface look brand new. What she got instead was a half-finished job, riddled with visible cracks and disappointment.
“I have been ripped off, misled, and gullible,” the woman said. “I’m 85… I don’t know how to do this myself.”
According to the victim, the men arrived unsolicited and made their pitch right at her front door.
“Your driveway’s all cracked up,” she recalled being told.
She said they promised, “We can fix it and clean up all the cracks and it’ll be good for ten years.”
When she asked about the cost, one of the men told her, “$4,000. But it’ll be perfect.”
It was far from perfect.
Just next door, her neighbor, Robert Miller, had a similar story. He, too, was approached by the same father-and-son team. He agreed to pay $950 for repairs.
“When I asked them about being able to seal the cracks because the water is getting underneath there,” Miller said, “He said, ‘We’ll probably have to do a couple coats.’”
When asked if he felt he got what he paid for, Miller replied, “Oh, definitely not.”
Like his neighbor, Miller was left with visible cracks and no return visits.
“I tried calling the phone number he gave me that was on a card that he gave me and it said the number was now disconnected,” Miller said. “So I tried looking up the business license that was on his truck. It’s not valid. So I now know I’m in trouble.”
The father identified himself to the victims as “John Alvarez” and said his son’s name was Chris.
However, an attorney later claimed the father’s real name is John Mitchell.
Local 10’s Jeff Weinsier located the men working on a home in Miramar.
Weinsier approached them.
“John, Chris, how you doing?” Weinsier asked.
Weinsier asked about the $4,000 taken from the 85-year-old woman. “She gave you four grand? Sound familiar? Why can’t she get in touch with you?”
John responded, “Well, I’m not sure, sir.”
John didn’t have the victim’s address or number.
Weinsier continued: “Why are we in this situation?”
John replied, “Sir, we had changed numbers, our contractor, our phone got lost.”
“Are you a state licensed contractor? In other words, there’s a license number on the side of that truck?” Weinsier asked.
John answered, “Sir, there is a reason for us to talk to you.”
“There is a reason,” Weinsier responded. “Because you ripped off an elderly woman.”
John denied the accusation, saying, “No, I ripped off nobody, sir.”
“So what do you call it?” Weinsier asked.
Chris, the son, said, “Sir, I have no comment.”
Weinsier asked, “This is how you guys do business?”
Chris responded, “We don’t have to speak to you.”
“No, you don’t have to speak to me,” Weinsier said. “But people need to know about you guys.”
Later that same day, an attorney contacted Local 10 News, claiming to represent the father and son. And the next day, something rare happened in these types of cases.
“Well, the situation has been resolved,” Miller said.
When asked if both he and the elderly woman received restitution, Miller said, “That is correct.”
The 85-year-old victim got her $4,000 back. Miller got his $950.
“This definitely would not have gotten resolved without your guys’ help,” Miller said. “We thank you and Channel 10 for what you guys did because it would have been a never-ending story for us.”
They got their money back, but that’s rare.
For most victims, once the cash is gone, so is the contractor.
Florida law requires that contractors performing structural or surface repairs — including driveway sealing and crack repair — be licensed through DBPR and carry liability insurance. When elderly victims are involved, additional felony penalties can apply under Florida’s elder exploitation statute (§ 825.103).
Always verify a contractor’s license at: www.myfloridalicense.com
Never pay in cash, and never sign a deal with someone who shows up unsolicited.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
