CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of Louis Bruno IV of Bruno Total Home Performance and a woman who helped him run Bruno's Total Home Performance.
"Louis Bruno, along with his general manager Tammy Schreier and several other co-conspirators engaged in an ongoing systematic course of conduct with the intent to defraud consumers," says Chief David Newlan.
The chief identified the other conspirators as Dustin Baucom, Tyler Murray, Ronald Toledo, John Pennell, Celeste Robinson, Holly Hansen, Frederico Munoz, and Matthew Harrell.
Chief Newlan says his department began investigating the company in 2018.
According to the chief, Bruno's employees would use a combination of technology and trickery in an elaborate scheme to steal - all under the guise of giving free air conditioning quotes.
"They would ask the customer to sign the estimate on an electronic device such an IPAD," said Chief Newlan. "And that signature would be transferred to a sale contract without the customers' knowledge."
"And in some cases when the customer was physically unable to sign anything, their signature was forged," he added.
The chief said Louis Bruno would use those signatures get to money for himself - by borrowing in the customers' names under a Florida program known as PACE.
That program is designed to give homeowner loans to make energy efficiency improvements, such as adding better air conditioning units.
"Many victims did not realize they had not been scammed until they received a statement from the lender showing they were taking out a home improvement loan," said Chief Newlan.
"In addition, Louis Bruno had filed liens against several victims," said the Chief - who added he and other officials made sure the lien proceedings were stopped against the victims.
Chief Newlan says the scheme led to more than $2.3 million being stolen.
According to the chief, 240 complaints had been made against the company.
He said many of the victims were seniors and/or active duty military of veterans.
