A Volusia County man is accused of scamming an elderly Port Orange homeowner out of $70,000 after posing as a contractor who could help her restore her home following Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Steven Parker, 52, of Daytona Beach, allegedly informed a woman that he was a general contractor and that he could do the repair work on her home for $69,888.
The quote includes drywall replacement, floor replacement, paint and trim replacement, flooring installation, and a variety of additional repairs.
Parker took a $34,944 deposit and then informed her he’d need $17,472 after he was halfway done and another $17,472 when the job was finished. When the money was handed over, no permits were pulled for the repair work, according to police.
Parker stated he was halfway done on May 1 and wanted one of the $17,472 payments. The woman and her husband were evicted from their house, so they couldn’t see what progress, if any, was being made, according to arrest papers.
The woman’s daughter got concerned that Parker would go to her mother for money because she was in charge of the business relationships owing to her mother’s age, according to authorities.
When she came by the house, she assessed that less than 15% of the work had been accomplished. She recruited an attorney, who informed Parker that he had seven days to complete the task or face an 80% refund.
Parker was later discovered to be utilizing another person’s general contracting license, according to the daughter. Parker was allegedly using a contractor’s license of a man with the same name as him whose firm was based in Cape Coral, according to authorities.
Parker was detained on suspicion of impersonating a contractor during a state of emergency, getting property falsely worth more than $50,000, and impersonating another person without authorization.
Anyone who believes they have been victimized by Parker is asked to call Detective James Fischetti at 386-506-5897.
Anyone who hired Parker to work on their home and has concerns about the quality of the work is encouraged to contact the Port Orange Building Department at 386-506-5602.
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