A Lighthouse Point man is accused of stealing more than $26,000 from a 75-year-old woman for roof repairs and other odd jobs that were never finished.
Sonny Lee Stanley, 46, is an unlicensed contractor who approached the Coral Springs woman offering to fix her flat roof, according to the arrest report.
He said he was working on the roof of a neighboring house and could see her roof needed repairs, too, despite being obscured by trees, the report stated.
He charged her $1,900 July 8, $6,800 July 9, $8,800 July 12, and $9,200 on July 18, for a total of $26,700, and insisted on cash payments to complete the job faster, police said.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Stanley would drive her to the bank to make the cash withdrawals while he waited in the car. She received no receipts for the payments made, and he said roof repairs were completed, the report said.
During the 10-day roofing job, Stanley also told her the house needed painting, trees needed trimming, the sidewalk and driveway needed pressure cleaning, and electrical fixtures outside the home needed repairs, investigators said.
Local
Police were called July 19 and she explained what had happened. They had her call Stanley for a pressure cleaning job and when he showed up July 20 he was questioned.
A roofing inspector said the roof repair was below standard, incomplete, needed to be replaced, and no city permit was issued to do the work in the first place. Her roof could not be seen from neighboring homes, contrary to what Stanley claimed.
During questioning, Stanley explained he took cash payments because the woman had no checkbook and he drove her to the bank to be a gentleman, police reported.
Stanley said he didn’t want to be arrested and offered to pay back the woman, but she told police she wanted Stanley prosecuted, investigators said.
He was arrested Saturday and charged with exploitation of the elderly over $20,000 and being an unlicensed contractor. He was released from the Broward County Jail Sunday on a $20,000 bond, records show.
