The Brief
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Charles and Kristin Black, a couple running a company called Legacy Pools, that the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office says defrauded hundreds of people in Central Florida.
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A traffic stop in Arizona led officers to notice a warrant out for their arrest. Now they’re behind bars, waiting for extradition back to the Sunshine State.
ORLANDO, Fla. – FOX 35 told you Wednesday about Charles (also called Chad) and Kristin Black – a couple running a company called Legacy Pools, that the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office says defrauded hundreds of people in Central Florida.
What we know
A traffic stop in Arizona led officers to notice a warrant out for their arrest. Now they’re behind bars, waiting for extradition back to the Sunshine State.
It’s been almost exactly two years since FOX 35 started reporting on this.
It’s a case that involves hundreds of victims. A lot of them will never get their money back.
But some of them, like Josh Lueck, may now feel a sense of justice.
“This is something that happens on TV or in the movies,” like Lueck. “It doesn’t happen in real life. But it did.”
Lueck will spend the next 17 years of his life paying off the second loan he had to take out after he says Legacy Pools took his money and ran.
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He has an active civil lawsuit right now against Chad and Kristen Black.
And he’s far from their only accuser.
Steven Didanato called police in Waxhaw North Carolina in 2016, saying he paid Legacy Pools upfront, only for Black to disappear.
“I’m just amazed that these people keep getting away with it,” said Didanato.
He dropped the charges after he says Chad Black finally paid him back.
“What was his real punishment?” said Didanato. “Not nothing really.”
Now, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office says that could change.
Tod Goodyear with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office says Chad and Kristin Black are facing charges for organized fraud – a felony punishable by up to 30 years behind bars.
“This is more than merely a clerical error,” said Goodyear. “This is something that we can point to that says there was intent to defraud – in this case multiple victims.”
It’s a case the U.S. Attorney’s Office handed over to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in 2021.
Their research would have pulled up Didanato’s case, and a mountain of court orders in Virginia.
Between 2006 and 2018, courts there fined him for improper and dishonest conduct, ordered him to pay back over and took his license saying, “He lacks the character necessary to operate a licensed contracting business.”
“I think that’s one of the most infuriating parts to me is how did this happen?” said Lueck/ “Like, how did the state of Florida let him get a contract license to begin with.”
FOX 35 asked the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office that same question.
“Unfortunately, a lot of times when you cross, particularly state jurisdictions or you go to different parts of the country,” said Goodyear. “Communications is not great. A lot of times the set up that is there to try to safeguard against this can get bypassed.”
BCSO says part of the delay in filing the charges is making sure they’d stick.
In 2022, St. Cloud police arrested Chad Black for grand theft and a scheme to defraud through Legacy Pools, only for the state attorney to drop charges, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.
RELATED: ‘Legacy Pools’ owners, accused of defrauding 300 people out of $4 million, arrested in AZ
The couple’s alleged victims are hoping for a different result this time.
“There’s been billions of dollars in damages to the citizens of Florida because we didn’t catch this up front,” said Lueck. “And what’s being done to never again let this happen?“
Most of the alleged victims FOX 35 has spoken with said they did do some preliminary research before contracting with Legacy Pools – but they suggest you at home be as thorough as possible.
Lueck suggested you ask what vendors your contractor is using, so you can reach out to them directly if you’re suspicious of any issue.
If you’re in the market for a contractor, the Florida Swimming Pool Association suggests you should check the company’s license online, ask for references, look up reviews, and check the Better Business Bureau.
Legacy Pools has an “F” rating with the BBB.
But if you don’t catch that and find that you’ve been victimized by Legacy Pools or any other company, file a complaint with the DBPR.
Once you do file a complaint, you’re eligible for the State Recovery Fund, a pool of money meant to pay back victims of misconduct by licensed construction workers.
What we don’t know
That process can be lengthy, which is why you should start as soon as possible. Right now, the Florida Swimming Pool Association is working to raise the amount of money victims can be paid out.
The Source
The information in this article comes from reporting done by FOX 35’s Marie Edinger.
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