On Oct. 1, the Milford Police Department Detective Division assisted investigators from the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud in apprehending two men that their agency held outstanding arrest warrants for regarding alleged organized consumer fraud in Florida.
Police responded to office of CTST Construction, located at 185 Plains Road Suite 201W in Milford, where Carlton Dunko, 45, with a last known address of 4415 West El Padro Boulevard, Tampa, Florida was taken into custody without incident.
Frank Pureber III, 36, of 552 Bimini Bay Boulevard, Apollo Beach, Florida was taken into custody in New Haven with the assistance of the New Haven Police Department.
Dunko and Pureber were both transported to the Milford Police Department and processed for their outstanding arrest warrants from the Florida Department of Financial Services. Both men were charged with being fugitives from justice and each was held on a $500,000 bond.
Dunko and Pureber were both expected to be arraigned Oct. 2 at Milford Superior Court.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, in a press release, said five people associated with NBRC Roofing in Florida, including Dunko and Pureber, were being arrested for organizing a $525,000 insurance fraud scheme. The Tampa-based company is accused of leaving 97 homeowners in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties with unfinished roof repairs and liens on their homes after stealing insurance money intended to pay subcontractors, the press release states.
“I am proud of our investigators for arresting these disgraceful criminals who took advantage of Florida families and robbed many from having a safe roof above their heads,” Atwater said. “These crooks must be held accountable for their crimes.”
An investigation by the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud discovered the insurance scam involved visiting homeowners following a storm, convincing the homeowners that roof repairs were necessary, helping the homeowners file insurance claims for repair and finally convincing the homeowners to give NBRC the sole right to make the repairs and the assignment of benefits for the insurance claim. But once NBRC was paid for the insurance claim, the repairs would not be completed and the insurance money would be pocketed by NBRC employees, Florida officials said.
The defendants are each charged with organizing a scheme to defraud, a first degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. The defendants arrested this week include:
Frank Martin Pureber, Apollo Beach; Carlton D. Dunko, Tampa; Stacy Lynn Dunko, Tampa; Joel Samuel Deserio, Tampa, and Alexander Josue Gomez, Riverview.
Additional arrests are expected.