A Key West man stole $208K from a homeowner for post-Irma repairs, prosecutors said
A Key West man was jailed Thursday after state prosecutors said he stole $208,000 from a homeowner by agreeing to repair a house damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Cristian Jay Swanson, 60, however, isn’t a licensed contractor and he only did minimal work on the Dennis Street home, according to the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office.
Swanson was arrested on three felony fraud charges and one felony charge of grand theft.
He was released from the Stock Island Detention Center after posting a $200,000 bond, jail records show.
The alleged fraud took place during a governor-imposed state of emergency.
This is the second illegal contracting arrest the SAO has made in the Keys within two days.
Prosecutors said the homeowner paid Swanson $208,000 in a dozen separate payments between May 22, 2018, and June 25, 2019.
Swanson’s company, Marine Resources LLC, built and repaired seawalls and docks but was not licensed for construction, prosecutors said.
Swanson told the homeowner, who prosecutors said was a friend of his, that he was a licensed contractor.
The scheme began in January 2018, when the homeowner had Swanson evaluate his storm-damaged home. Swanson reportedly told him demolition wasn’t needed because he could repair and renovate it, prosecutors said.
Swanson got hired.
In October 2018, the city’s building department issued a stop-work order for the project, saying the work being done went beyond the scope of the permits.
Swanson told the homeowner not to worry about it and he would take care of the issue, but he didn’t, said Larry Kahn, the spokesman for the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office
“The property remains vacant, the stop-work order is still in force and citations for violating the city’s code are pending before the city’s code-enforcement special magistrate,” Kahn said.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 4:37 PM.
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