Bradenton business owner spent customer funds on cruises, police say. He’s going to prison
The second leader of a Bradenton business accused of gambling away customers’ money is going to prison, according to court records.
Ryan Nobles, 46, the former co-owner and vice president of M&L Cabinets, pleaded no contest to misapplication of construction funds of $100,000 or more, according to court records. Police say he and another executive spent more than $220,000 in company funds on luxury travel and cash withdrawals.
A judge sentenced Nobles to 30 months in prison followed by 27 years of probation, according to court records.
The Bradenton Herald previously reported on another former co-owner and president of the company, 40-year-old Nicole Anderson, who pleaded no contest in April 2024 to felony scheming to defraud more than $50,000. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison, 20 years of probation and ordered to pay around $90,000 in restitution
Nobles will also be required to pay restitution, but the amount will be determined later, records say.
The Bradenton Police Department arrested Nobles and Anderson in September 2023 after detectives say a seven-month investigation uncovered over a dozen customers who were scammed out of nearly $200,000.
Investigators said customers reported down payments for products and services they never received.
Since 2022, at least 20 customers filed reports with BPD claiming to have paid a combined $191,925 to the company without receiving their full order, according to arrest records.
Police said in court documents that Anderson and Nobles collected “large amounts of money from customers” who placed down payments on kitchen renovations, but provided customers with nothing in return and instead used the money “for entertainment.”
Instead of providing kitchen renovations, police say Anderson and Nobles used the company’s money on cruises and a trip to Las Vegas.
Investigators found that while collecting money from customers, Nobles and Anderson were draining company accounts for personal expenses. Between August 2022 and January 2023, Nobles charged approximately $226,000 at casinos in Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and aboard cruise ships using his company credit card. Anderson, meanwhile, spent around $90,000 using her company credit card through purchases and ATM withdrawals during this same period, according to police.
A third owner, Clinton Hoy, said he was unaware of the financial misconduct until he discovered “numerous discrepancies in the account” after being denied access to the company’s financial records, according to an arrest report. In February 2023, he filed a lawsuit against Anderson and Nobles, alleging they had been “illegally taking and misappropriating funds of M&L Cabinets” for personal use.
In January 2024, a judge ruled in Hoy’s favor, ordering Anderson and Nobles to pay him more than $680,000, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
