Pool contractors accused of defrauding customers, never completing work

Victims paid thousands to have pools installed, report says

A project Crystal Clear Pools never finished, according to deputies. (Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A dozen victims of two pool contractors were left with thousands of dollars wasted and incomplete in-ground pools as part of what Flagler County deputies are calling an organized scheme to defreaud.

Deputies said the investigation into Crystal Clear Pools owners Romina De Longo and Carlos Longo began in May 2019 after a complaint from a customer who paid to have an in-ground pool installed in August 2018.

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That victim said that by April 2019, only 80% of the work was complete and the company would no longer reply to calls or certified letters with requests to finish the job, according to the report.

By that point, the victim had already paid for 96% of the total cost of the project.

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Through the course of the investigation, deputies said they learned of 12 victims who paid anywhere from $9,250 to $63,713 only to be left with unusable holes in their backyards.

All in all, De Longo and Longo cashed $455,745.03 for work that was never completed, records show.

Meanwhile, the victims were forced to pay another contractor to finish the work on their pools, a news release said.

“Now the victims are out even more money because these two fraudulently collected money with no intentions to complete the jobs. These cases are intricate and take a long time to build but Detective Castanheira, the State Attorney’s Office investigator, did a great job building this case. This is also a good reminder to always check-out contractors with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Better Business Bureau before signing contracts. At least these fraudsters are in jail where they belong,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.

De Longo and Longo were arrested Wednesday at their home in Palm Coast. They’re both facing charges of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000, 10 counts of grand theft of monies received by a contractor over $20,000 and grand theft of monies received by a contractor over $1,000.


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