More than 100 people, including at least 41 illegal immigrants, have been arrested in Florida on suspicion of robbing and defrauding victims of hurricanes Helen and Milton, local law enforcement officials said.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said 45 suspects have been arrested on 68 charges, including armed robbery, burglary, loitering and loitering, grand larceny, criminal damage and trespassing, during loot patrols in Pinellas County over the past three weeks. was arrested.
“They’re going into people’s homes, taking things away, rummaging through people’s belongings,” Gualtieri said.
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A further 58 suspects were arrested in the operation, which is said to have targeted unlicensed contractors. Gualtieri said the main thrust of their scam was to charge victims a total of $250 million for repairs they did not intend.
“This is typical of people trying to take advantage of others when they’re down or out, trying to rebuild and getting nothing,” Gualtieri said.
At a press conference, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri shared updates on the arrests of dozens of illegal immigrants accused of stealing and defrauding victims of Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helen. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
Gualtieri said at a news conference Thursday that at least 41 of the 45 suspects arrested by anti-looting patrols across Pinellas County’s barrier islands are illegal immigrants. He said almost all of the suspects were from South or Central America.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has arrested more than 100 people accused of exploiting victims of hurricanes Helen and Milton. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
Suspects arrested in contract fraud typically offered projects such as plumbing, roofing, and electrical work for a total of more than $250 million.
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Gualtieri added that one of the suspects even had a business card impersonating a legitimate contractor.
“People offer to do work on their property, but in some cases they have no intention of doing the work. They are also not qualified to do the work and in all these cases do not have permission to do the work. ” Gualtieri said.
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Drone footage of a destroyed beach house after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Manasota Key, Florida on October 11, 2024. (Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo/File Photo)
The sheriff added that his office has been in contact with 196 other people who were around the beach who were not affiliated with them, but officers had no probable cause to arrest them. Of these, 163 were found to be illegal immigrants.
“So we contacted them and told them to come out,” Gualtieri said. “We’ve never seen anything on this scale before. Obviously out-of-area people who are here to steal, steal, do bad things and just target vulnerable people.” I have never seen an influx of people from.”
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Mr Gualtieri said almost everyone arrested during the three-week operation had extensive criminal records.
“As Pinellas beaches recover, we will continue to patrol and arrest everyone we can who is stealing from vulnerable victims of the second consecutive storm that devastated our community.” said Gualtieri.
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Gualtieri said the sheriff’s office will continue to deploy dozens of additional deputies and patrol the island day and night to keep people who don’t belong on the barrier island away.
“Our efforts to protect our communities did not end with the direct impact of the hurricane. We are now focused on protecting residents and businesses who are working hard to rebuild and continue their lives. ”
