Contractor scammed 7 Jersey Shore homeowners out of more than $75k, prosecutor alleges
Image courtesy of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Richard Woodard, 63, part owner of Willwood Builders of Clearwater, Florida with failure to make required disposition for allegedly taking more than $75,000 from seven victims.
“The thefts came in the form of clients’s savings, insurance money and state Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) grants that were paid without Willwood Builders ever finishing the contracted work,” an Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office release states.
Woodard was arrested in Dunedin, Florida last Wednesday by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department at the request of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.
His bail was set at $150,000, with no 10% payment option, and authorities have begun proceedings to extradite Woodard to Ocean County.
The contractor has allegedly taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients, including Sandy victims, and not finished the contracted work, NJ.com reported earlier this year.
Anyone who has experienced issues with Woodard or his company can contact Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit Det. Lindsay Llauget at 732-929-2027 x3462.
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