TAMPA, Fla. — The owner of Olympus Pools has been convicted of defrauding customers out of more than $1.5 million and leaving behind unfinished pool projects, the Florida Attorney General’s Office announced Monday.
James Ivan Staten Jr. was found guilty of 35 counts, including aggravated white-collar crime, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, and contractor fraud. Prosecutors said he scammed customers across Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Polk counties.
“I’m proud to announce that Prosecutors Stephanie Bergen and Panagiota Papakos secured a guilty conviction for this fraudster who turned many Floridians’ dreams of a backyard paradise into a nightmare, taking their money and digging holes to nowhere,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier.
“Little did this fraudster know, he’d be digging himself into a 20-year minimum prison sentence.”
Investigators said Mr Staten accepted large down payments from customers and deposited the funds into Olympus Pools accounts before transferring the money to personal accounts for non-business use. Customers were left with incomplete pools and damaged property.
Mr Staten reportedly hired subcontractors to perform the work but often failed to pay them, resulting in construction liens being filed against the homeowners’ properties.
The criminal investigation was led by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office Division of Consumer Protection, with assistance from the Pasco, Polk, and Manatee County Sheriff’s Offices.
In a separate civil action, the Attorney General’s Office permanently shut down Olympus Pools and banned Mr Staten for life from operating a pool business in Florida.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 7. Mr Staten faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.
