MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami man has been arrested after, police said, he pretended to be a licensed contractor and defrauded 13 victims across Miami-Dade County.
According to detectives, a collaborative investigation between the Miami-Dade, Key Biscayne and Hallandale Beach police departments revealed that since August 2019, John Louis McQueen defrauded numerous people by offering to build new roofs without a license, as required by Florida law.
“This investigation was initiated in August of 2020,” said Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Geordi Estepan.
Police said McQueen, 64, fraudulently utilized the credentials of legitimate contractors on fake receipts and contracts across the county.
After a thorough investigation, and with the assistance of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued for McQueen, who was located in Hallandale Beach and arrested on Wednesday.
He faces various charges, including grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and contracting without a license.
During the investigation, a total of 13 victims were identified. Detectives said they suffered a total loss of approximately $103,000.
One of those victims is a Miami Gardens couple who met McQueen after Hurricane Irma damaged their roof.
“I am so hurt because I trust people,” said Victoria Jackson.
Jackson said that she trusted McQueen after he told her he was a contractor.
“I gave him $7,795,” said Victoria Jackson.
She signed the paperwork he gave her, saying that he had the right permits and would begin work on fixing her roof.
“No work was done. I gave him the check, he cashed it the same day,” said Jackson.
Jackson said McQueen betrayed her trust and took her hard-earned money.
“And on the day that he was scheduled to come out to do the work, nobody showed up,” Jackson said. “I called him, I called him, he didn’t answer, he didn’t answer.”
McQueen appeared in bond court on Thursday.
“Count one, organized scheme to defraud, it’s a $50,000 bond. I’m setting the amounts on the warrant,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer.
Detectives are looking for additional victims who may have been affected by McQueen’s tactics.
There is no indication as to whether any of the victims will ever get their money back.
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