A Tampa-area contractor was found guilty Tuesday of taking tens of thousands of dollars from an 87-year-old man for a reconstruction job that never took place after Hurricane Michael, announced State Attorney Larry Basford.
Mark Eugene Stargardt, 66, of Stargardt and Associates, LLC in Valrico, was found guilty of Grand Theft (more than $20,000) after a jury deliberated about three hours. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay set sentencing for July 16. The charge is a Second-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke called witnesses and presented evidence proving Stargardt and his company cashed checks from the victim totaling about $38,000 between February 2019 and May 2019 even though, by August 2019, no work had been done on the property in 6 months. The only permit pulled was for the initial demolition, which was incomplete, done improperly, and had to be redone by another contractor.
“This has been an absolute nightmare for the victim in this case,” VanDyke said. “He did everything right and the defendant took advantage of him and continued to lead him along for months while the victim lived in a hotel. His perseverance and attention to detail – keeping track of all his records – helped make sure this defendant will be held accountable.”
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Those records included proof that when the victim’s complaints led to a demolition crew showing up at his home, they arrived without any equipment. The victim went with them to rent heavy equipment. They said they did not have an account at that business and talked the victim into paying for it with his credit card. They said it would be added as a credit on his bill.
The rental was supposed to be for a few days for his demolition. A few days later the victim went by the site, and it was covered in sand and dirt, the home apparently demolished and the equipment gone. He would later learn much of the debris was improperly buried underneath the fresh sand and dirt. It would also be the last work done on the site for 6 months.
“So we have a house that appears to be demoed and the equipment has left,” VanDyke said. “The victim assumes that the equipment has been returned. About a month later he gets an $8,800 bill and finds out his credit card has been used to pay for this equipment for 30 days to do other jobs at other locations.”
As the victim’s frustration with the lack of progress mounted, he repeatedly contacted the company and its representatives. But he testified Tuesday that at every turn there was either an excuse or a promise of how it would be made right.
By August the defendant took his complaints to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated and arrested Stargardt.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.