Greater than 100 folks, together with no less than 41 unlawful immigrants, have been arrested in Florida for allegedly looting and scamming victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton, native regulation enforcement officers mentioned.
Looting patrols in Pinellas County during the last three weeks rounded up 45 suspects on 68 expenses that included armed theft, housebreaking, loitering and prowling, grand theft, vandalism and trespassing, based on Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
“They’re going into folks’s properties, they’re taking stuff, they’re rummaging by way of their issues,” Gualtieri mentioned.
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One other 58 suspects had been arrested in an operation allegedly focusing on unlicensed contractors. Gualtieri mentioned their scams largely concerned billing victims a complete of $250 million for repairs they by no means supposed to do.
“That is the epitome of individuals attempting to use others once they’re down and once they’re out, they usually’re attempting to rebuild they usually’ve obtained nothing,” Gualtieri mentioned.
Throughout a press convention, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri shared an replace on the arrest of dozens of unlawful immigrants who allegedly stole from and scammed Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene victims. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Workplace)
Of the 45 suspects arrested by anti-looting patrols throughout the Pinellas County barrier islands, no less than 41 of the suspects are unlawful immigrants, Gualtieri mentioned at a press convention Thursday. He mentioned almost the entire suspects had been from South America or Central America.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Workplace has arrested greater than 100 folks accused of profiting from victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Workplace)
Suspects arrested within the contracting scams usually supplied to do tasks, together with plumbing, roofing and electrical work, charging a complete of greater than $250 million.
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Gualtieri added that one suspect even had enterprise playing cards to impersonate a official contracting firm.
“Folks providing to do work on their property, however, in some instances, haven’t any intention of doing the work. In different instances, are unqualified to do the work and, in all of those instances, are unlicensed to do the work,” Gualtieri mentioned.
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A drone view reveals destroyed seashore homes after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Manasota Key, Fla., Oct. 11, 2024. (Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo/File Picture)
The sheriff added that his workplace had contact with 196 different people who had been in seashore neighborhoods the place they didn’t belong, however that officers didn’t have possible trigger to arrest them. Of these, 163 had been discovered to be unlawful immigrants, he mentioned.
“So, we made contact with them and informed them to get out,” Gualtieri mentioned. “We’ve by no means seen something of this magnitude earlier than. We’ve by no means seen this inflow of individuals from out of the world which are clearly simply right here to steal and to pilfer and to do unhealthy issues and to focus on these susceptible folks.”Â
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Gualtieri mentioned almost all of these arrested in the course of the three-week operation had intensive legal information.Â
“Because the Pinellas seashores recuperate, we’re going to proceed these patrols and arrest everybody we will who’s stealing from the susceptible victims of two back-to-back storms which have devastated our group,” Gualtieri mentioned.Â
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Gualtieri mentioned the sheriff’s workplace will proceed to have dozens of additional deputies patrolling the barrier islands day and night time to maintain individuals who don’t belong there off the islands.
“Our effort to guard the group has not stopped with these hurricanes’ direct impression. We are actually targeted on defending our residents and our companies who’re determined to rebuild and get on with their lives.”Â
