PALM COAST, Fla. — A contractor is accused of stealing $40,000 from a Palm Coast couple for home renovations he never completed, then spending money on baseball cards, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Michael Struhar, 43, of St. Augustine, was arrested Friday on a charge of grand theft of more than $20,000.
According to the sheriff’s office, the victims wired $40,000 to Sunshine State Contractor Services, LLC, in December after signing an agreement to have work done on their Palm Coast home.
The contract called for the work to be completed within three months.
Deputies said Struhar, the company’s owner, showed up once, removed and painted a single wall, then never returned.
The sheriff’s office said the victims’ calls and texts went unanswered, and a certified letter demanding a refund was ignored.
Investigators said bank records showed about $11,500 in cash and debit-card withdrawals and more than $33,500 in Zelle payments within days of the wire transfer. Deputies said none of the money was spent on materials for the victims’ home.
The sheriff’s office said recurring charges also went to an online auction site where Struhar collected signed baseball cards.
“This contractor’s version of ‘if you build it, he will come’ was build nothing, take the cash, and buy baseball cards,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “He painted one wall and called it a day.”
Detectives presented the case to the State Attorney’s Office, which approved an arrest warrant. A judge signed the warrant with a $50,000 bond.
Struhar was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later released on $50,000 bond, deputies said.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
Detectives believe Struhar and Sunshine State Contractor Services may have additional victims in the area. Anyone who has done business with Struhar or his company and believes they were defrauded is asked to contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 386-313-4911.
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