FLORIDA — The owner of a Tampa-based pool company is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing over $1.5 million from Floridians and failing to finish their pools.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP) has filed criminal charges against James Ivan Staten, Jr., owner and operator of Olympus Pools, Moody said.
Staten faces charges of aggravated white-collar crime, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, and contractor fraud, according to Moody. Staten allegedly accepted large down payments and left many consumers in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Polk counties with no pools and destroyed yards.
Attorney General Moody, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges today in Tampa.
“For many people, finally saving enough money to buy a pool takes years of dreaming and hard work, but for the victimized customers of Olympus Pools, their dream turned into a nightmare,” said Moody.
“This defendant conned numerous Florida property owners by demanding large down payments on pools, then abandoning job sites—destroying backyards and leaving customers short of funds to try and fix the mess.”
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According to the law enforcement investigation, Staten preyed on numerous Florida property owners who contracted with Olympus Pools over the last several years to build a pool.
The customers reportedly paid Staten tens of thousands of dollars upfront by personal check, credit card, cash, or through financing, expecting that Staten would build the pool in a reasonable timeframe.
However, Staten is accused of stealing the money, depositing the funds into Olympus Pool accounts, and transferring the money into a personal account for personal expenses.
According to Moody, after receiving a contract to build a pool, Staten hired subcontractors to do the work and, in many cases, failed to pay the subcontractors. This reportedly resulted in the subcontractors recording valid construction liens against the homeowner’s properties.
Staten is charged with counts of aggravated white-collar crime, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, misapplication of construction funds, and construction fraud, all felonies.
“This is a day that Hillsborough County residents have been waiting for, for years, especially the victims of this business owner turned con man,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.
“I commend the hard work of our Construction Fraud Unit detectives, whose sole purpose is hunting down the criminals that victimize our hard-working residents with fraud, theft, and bad deals.”
Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the case.
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