CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- A Cape Coral contractor is behind bars after he was accused of scamming several homeowners and subcontractors.
Shane Lack, 44, was arrested on grand theft charges, after allegedly scamming several people on contracting jobs. Fox 4 reached out to some of his clients, who said he did not complete their work, or they paid a large deposit and never heard from him again.
Lack is also accused of hiring several subcontractors and never paying them. Some of these subcontractors include companies Perfect Connection Electrical, Schubert Plumbing, and Advantage Electric. Fox 4 sat down with Advantage Electric owner Christian Christy, Friday. He was hired by Lack to perform thousands of dollars of work, and says he was not paid. "It's $6,600 I can't give to my little boy," he said. "He would say he's got the money, he's sending me a check, he's got cancer, his partner stole all of his money, just one thing after another. Then all the sudden, he had no contact. Just up and disappears 100 percent."
However, this case represents only one of many unlicensed contractors all over Florida, according to Matt Sinclair, President of the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association, and owner of Sinclair Custom Homes. "It is running so rampant," he said. "If anybody is asking for more than 10% at the signing of a contract, that's a big tell-all."
Sinclair stressed to check references for any contractor you hire, and check with an abundance of free resources. "You want to check with the Department of Business Regulation, you always want to check the licensing, you want to check with who is qualified to use that license, you want to check with the Cape Coral Licensing Board and Code Enforcement, and see if they're a member of the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association."
