Did you have work done on your home? 16 arrested in unlicensed contractor sting

Sixteen people have been arrested by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for operating as an unlicensed contractors, including three people from Bradenton.

According to the sheriff’s office, Fredrick Moscato, 59, of Bradenton is charged with two counts of unlicensed contracting and workers compensation fraud. Frank Trola Jr., 64, of Bradenton and Jason Worley, of Bradenton, 44, face similar charges.

The undercover operation, in coordination with the Florida Department of Financial Services Division and Insurance, as well as Florida Department of of Business and Professional Regulation, netted 16 felony charges and 32 misdemeanors.

The sting, dubbed Operation Intercept VIII, is the latest operation since it began in 2012 targeting those who would take advantage of homeowners. Deputies advertised home repairs for the target residence used in the investigation and as the workers arrived, their information was run through the DBPR database to determine their credentials.

One of those arrested include Andrew Wheeler, 30, of Sarasota, who is a convicted felon with prior arrests for burglary, forgery, fraud, vehicle theft and dealing in stolen property, according to the sheriff’s office. Other arrests include:

• Tarek Bader, 60, of 309 Orange Grove Avenue South, Nokomis, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Eric Barbera, 60, of 2269 Lakewood Dr., Nokomis, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Peter Blackburn, 60, of 8120 Glenbrooke Pl., Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Lawrence Corrente, 64, of 1255 Rosedale Rd., Venice, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Dennis Delfauro, 27, of 3650 Woodmont Dr., Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Moises Gonzalez, 37, of 2911 North Lockwood Ridge Rd., Lot 20, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Claude Goulet, 55, of 5200 State Road 776, Venice, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Markel Hasankolli, 29, of 6671 Willow Creek Cir., Unit 304, North Port, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Constantine Mamakos, 57, of 4328 Kingston Loop, Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• Kevin Warren, 49, of 13090 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

• James White, 62 of 6112 Hoffman St., North Port, is charged with two counts of Unlicensed Contracting and Workers Compensation Fraud.

“Maintenance operations like these should be a good reminder for consumers to always seek licensed contractors to perform work on their homes or businesses,” said Sheriff Tom Knight in a prepared statement. “Consumers are exposing themselves to financial and physical risk by allowing these people to enter their home, unlicensed, and in some cases, with criminal histories.”

Knight said not only does it pose a threat to consumers, “but it also directly effects legitimate business owners operating within the parameters of the law.”

DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears said the agency is committed to removing unlicensed contractors, “and giving our citizens the confidence that the construction work will be done honestly and according to professional standards.”