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Contractor accused of taking thousands without finishing work

Posted at 9:46 PM, Nov 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-26 22:25:49-05

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — A Marco Island man is out thousands of dollars for electrical work that he paid for more than a year ago.

Work never got done, and he hasn't been able to get in touch with the contractor that has his money.

Paul Sorrelle says they wanted a generator after dealing with Irma. They settled with a company called Adria Group in Estero.

Sorrelle says he met with a sales rep who wanted a certain amount down. Sorrelle cut the guy a check for $7,050.

But once that money changed hands, Paul says communication with the company got spotty and eventually stopped altogether.

"I did continue to call them; they just weren't answering." says Sorrelle.

Since then, Paul has filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the State Attorney's Office.

His case has now been picked up by the State Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which is investigating the lead contractor, a man named Benjamin Mading.

A quick search of the Better Business Bureau backs up Paul's claims.

The Adria Group currently has an "F" rating.

There is also an alert warning people that there have been multiple complaints against Mading, and all the stories are pretty similar to Paul's.

Fox 4 tried calling Mading on the number listed for his business on Google and a separate number listed on another website. Fox 4 even drove over to the address listed online, but the Adria Group isn't there anymore.

Paul is concerned. He says it's likely he won't get his money back.

But he does want to warn others about Mading and remind them to do their homework when looking for a contractor.

That state department says it is working to track Mading down so they can get to the bottom of this issue.

Depending on the outcome of their investigation, he could face the consequences ranging from paying a fine to losing his license, which is still active at this point.