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Florida contractor reportedly pocketed nearly $49,000 for unfinished work

I'M STEVEN GRAVES, BRINGING YOUR NEWS TO GO. OUR SOURCES CONFIRM THAT THE FINGERPRINTS ON THE GUN FOUND AT TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB IN WEST PALM BEACH MATCH SUSPECT RYAN ROUTH. THE GUN WAS FIRST FOUND WITH A SERIAL NUMBER DESTROYED. RALPH WILL BE CONVICTED FOR WEAPON MANAGEMENT IN THE FEDERAL COUNCIL AND A BAIL HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY. A SPECIAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AFTER THE SUSPENSION OF THE RIVIERA BEACH CITY MANAGER. JONATHAN EVANS WAS SUSPENDED FOR TWO WEEKS AFTER MAYOR RONNIE FELDER ACKNOWLEDGED HIM OF, QUOTE, CONTEMPLATION OF HIS DUTIES. TONIGHT'S MEETING WILL FOCUS ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POLICE CHIEF AS HE REPRESENTS EVANS. SAINT LUCIE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVE REQUESTS FOR QUIET ZONES FOR THREE STREET INTERSECTIONS. WE'RE TALKING MIDWAY ROAD, WALTON ROAD AND RIVERVIEW DRIVE. NO WORD YET ON WHEN THOSE ZONES WILL BEGIN IF THEY ARE APPROVED. AND WEATHER wise, WE'LL GET A NICER WEATHER FORECAST THIS WEEKEND. A LITTLE DRIER. WE WILL ACTUALLY SEE HIGHS TODAY, ONLY IN THE MID TO UPPER SECONDS, WHICH IS AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. ONLY A SMALL CHANCE OF UK RAIN IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT WE HAVE SEEN ALL WEEK LONG.

Contractor from Jupiter reportedly pocketed nearly $49,000 for unfinished work

A Jupiter man has been arrested in connection with the theft of nearly $49,000. Michael S. Fenton, 58, of Jupiter, was arrested Thursday and charged with grand theft of funds received from a construction contractor. According to a report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, on April 21, 2022, the victims hired Fenton, the licensed owner of Wine Design Studio in Jupiter, to build a custom wine cellar and refrigeration unit in the victims' home. Over several months, the victims paid Fenton a total of $48,922.50. According to the report, when the victims sent the payments to him, Fenton never started the work, but claimed he was still in the process of ordering the materials. In 2023, the victims repeatedly contacted Fenton to update him on the status of the project, but he did not respond. At that point, the victims demanded a refund of the payments. At one point, the victims said Fenton said he was going out of business. The report notes that Fenton never filed for bankruptcy.The victims were contacted by another man who knew Fenton and offered to complete the job for payment, but the victims declined the offer.The man told law enforcement that Fenton told him to contact the victims and make them an offer. According to the man, he was told he would be paid by the victims and Fenton never offered to pay him or provide materials.An investigation by the Palm Beach County Contractors Division found Fenton was an unlicensed contractor and was fined $1,000.In an interview with law enforcement, Fenton said he admitted to entering into the contract with the victims but was no longer able to complete the job or repay the victims due to his mental state and planned bankruptcy.Fenton was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $5,000 bail and ordered by the court to have no contact with the victims.Top Headlines:Stay Up to Date: The Latest Headlines and Weather from WPBF 25 Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

JUPITER, Fla. —

A Jupiter man was arrested in connection with the theft of nearly $49,000.

Michael S. Fenton, 58, of Jupiter, was arrested Thursday and charged with grand theft of funds he had given to a contractor.

According to a report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, on April 21, 2022, the victims hired Fenton, the licensed owner of Wine Design Studio in Jupiter, to build a custom wine cellar and refrigeration unit in the victims' home.

Over several months, the victims paid Fenton a total of $48,922.50.

According to the report, when the victims sent the payments to him, Fenton had not even started work, but simply claimed he was still in the process of ordering the materials.

In 2023, the victims repeatedly contacted Fenton to inquire about the status of the project, but he did not respond.

At that time, the victims demanded a refund of the payments. At some point, the victims say, Fenton announced that he would be closing his business.

The report notes that Fenton never filed for bankruptcy.

The victims were contacted by another man who knew Fenton and offered to do the job for payment, but the victims declined the offer.

The man told officers that Fenton told him to contact the victims and make them an offer. According to the man, he was told he would be paid by the victims and Fenton never offered to pay him or provide him with any materials.

An investigation by the Palm Beach County Contractors Division found that Fenton was an unlicensed contractor and he was fined $1,000.

In an interview with law enforcement, Fenton said he admitted to executing the contract with the victims, but was no longer able to complete the contract and repay the victims due to his mental state and planned bankruptcy.

Fenton was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $5,000 bail and ordered by the court to have no contact with the victims.

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