Bad actor pool building companies in numerous states are giving the swimming pool industry a bad name.

In Port Lucie, Florida, Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against several parties for defrauding potential pool owners.

The suit names Pro Pool Builders, LLC, its operator, George Galiszewski, owner Karen Edgington, manager Robert Sigman, Jr., and supervisor Tiffany Moore as defendants. The suit also names Lifestyle Pools, which was operated by Galiszewski, Sigman, and Moore.

According to the lawsuit, the Attorney General’s office has gathered and reviewed at least forty complaints from Florida consumers collectively amounting to $1,538,831.33 in payments to the defendants for incomplete or inadequate services.

The suit alleges that consumers entered into contractual agreements with the defendants, paying a deposit that in some instances financed nearly the entire project, but the defendants failed to complete the projects and sometimes abandoned the projects altogether. Consumers also complained that the defendants did not respond to requests for refunds. At least one consumer’s home has a lien recorded against it.

Pro Pool Builders, Lifestyle Pools, and its operators are accused of unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable acts and practices in violation of Florida statutes.

In Madison County, Alabama, Gregory Clay Kirk was arrested on charges of theft by deception and accused of operating with a false license and scamming dozens of clients out of tens of thousands of dollars. Kirk has done business as Pristine Fiberglass Pools, LLC, Pristine Pools, LLC, both of which he filed bankruptcy on. In his most recent bankruptcy filing, he listed his liabilities at nearly $1.5 million.

And in two states, Tracy and Matt Davenport, owners of Davenport Extreme Pools and Spas, are accused of corrupt business practices, theft, and fraud.

Prosecutors in Indiana said the couple took hundreds of thousands of dollars from multiple customers to build swimming pools. According to court documents, the couple took more than $245,000 from four victims in Floyd County to build pools, dating back to 2021. But they never built anything. They also face charges in Clark County.

In Kentucky, the Davenports face charges in Bullitt, Jefferson, and Shelby Counties. They are also being investigated by the state’s attorney general. A spokesperson for the Kentucky Attorney General said: “The office’s investigation is ongoing. We are aware of the allegations and have been coordinating with the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office on this matter.”

On December 8, Tracy Davenport was arrested in Louisville awaiting extradition to Indiana.

Photo credit: WFLA.com