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Florida authorities on Friday charged a man with wrongful contracting, insurance fraud and failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for his workers after he solicited homeowners in the Tampa area to do roofing work.
John Sutton, who does business as Kaizen Construction Group, had sellers in Pasco County go door-to-door instructing homeowners what to say when filing an insurance claim in 2021 and 2022, Florida’s chief financial officer said in a bulletin. Some of the homeowners agreed to sign “direct pay” documents that essentially cede benefits to the roofing company.
Investigators from the Department of Financial Services and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office determined that Sutton and Kaizen Construction were not licensed roofers and were responsible for more than $41,000 in insurance claims. Sutton reportedly later issued a statement saying he had harassed hundreds of homeowners across the state, DFS said.
Records from the Florida Department of State show that Kaizen Construction was incorporated in Thonotosassa, Florida as a limited liability company with Sutton as manager until its dissolution in 2021.
If convicted of the charges, Sutton faces up to 25 years in prison. Those who know homeowners who may have been the subject of solicitations from the Company are urged to call the CFO’s Fraud Hotline at 800-378-0445.
subjects
Workers’ Compensation Contractors Homeowners
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https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2023/03/27/713841.htm
