PLANTATION, Fla. — Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia on Tuesday announced the arrest of a suspect in South Florida who he says is accused of acting as an unlicensed contractor and taking $174,000 from a homeowner whose house was damaged in a fire.
Authorities say Cornelius Sentell Osborne posed as a general contractor and agreed to perform restoration work on a home in Hollywood.
After collecting the money, investigators say he abandoned the project after several months, leaving the home uninhabitable.
Ingoglia said Osborne was arrested on March 19 in Plantation by officers with the Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division.
He said Osborne was on probation at the time of his arrest for fleeing a law enforcement officer in Brevard County.
A news release from the Florida Department of Financial Services states that Osborne is facing charges of grand theft and acting as an unlicensed contractor, which carry a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Ingoglia said the arrest is part of ongoing efforts to crack down on fraud and protect vulnerable Floridians.
“This case is a direct result of my office’s relentless work to root out fraud in our state and hold bad actors accountable,” he said. “We are cracking down on this kind of criminal activity, especially when it targets those in vulnerable situations. If you think you can get away with this sort of behavior, think again. My office is working tirelessly to bring these fraudsters to justice.”
To learn more about Osborne’s arrest, Local 10 viewers can watch this video.
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