Greater than 100 individuals, together with a minimum of 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 over the past three weeks rounded up 45 suspects on 68 fees that included armed theft, housebreaking, loitering and prowling, grand theft, vandalism and trespassing, in keeping with Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
“They’re going into people’s homes, they’re taking stuff, they’re rummaging through their things,” Gualtieri mentioned.
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One other 58 suspects have been arrested in an operation allegedly concentrating on unlicensed contractors. Gualtieri mentioned their scams principally concerned billing victims a complete of $250 million for repairs they by no means meant to do.
“This is the epitome of people trying to exploit others when they’re down and when they’re out, and they’re trying to rebuild and they’ve got 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, a minimum of 41 of the suspects are unlawful immigrants, Gualtieri mentioned at a press convention Thursday. He mentioned almost all the suspects have been from South America or Central America.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Workplace has arrested greater than 100 individuals accused of making the most of victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Workplace)
Suspects arrested within the contracting scams usually supplied to do initiatives, together with plumbing, roofing and electrical work, charging a complete of greater than $250 million.
Gualtieri added that one suspect even had enterprise playing cards to impersonate a legit contracting firm.
“People offering to do work on their property, but, in some cases, have no intention of doing the work. In other cases, are unqualified to do the work and, in all of these cases, 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 Photograph)
The sheriff added that his workplace had contact with 196 different people who have been in seashore neighborhoods the place they didn’t belong, however that officers didn’t have possible trigger to arrest them. Of these, 163 have been discovered to be unlawful immigrants, he mentioned.
“So, we made contact with them and told them to get out,” Gualtieri mentioned. “We’ve never seen anything of this magnitude before. We’ve never seen this influx of people from out of the area that are clearly just here to steal and to pilfer and to do bad things and to target these vulnerable people.”
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Gualtieri mentioned almost all of these arrested in the course of the three-week operation had in depth prison information.
“As the Pinellas beaches recover, we are going to continue these patrols and arrest everyone we can who is stealing from the vulnerable victims of two back-to-back storms that have devastated our community,” Gualtieri mentioned.
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 protect the community has not stopped with these hurricanes’ direct impact. We are now focused on protecting our residents and our businesses who are desperate to rebuild and get on with their lives.”
