Naples man imprisoned for contract fraud

A Naples man was sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years on probation for a fraud scheme involving false documents used to secure contracting jobs despite the fact that he did not have a license.

According to court filings, William Burgess, 68, met with the owner of a Tampa construction and management company and agreed to help him find work in Collier County, according to a recent article by Joe Espy of NBC2.

The lawsuit began when the Collier County Clerk’s Office discovered evidence of contract and building permit fraud.

Burgess allegedly falsified the name of a licensed contractor on building permission applications. He also accepted jobs while unlicensed and collected payments without the contractor’s knowledge.

It was discovered that the notary employed by Burgess notarized documents without the witness present, under Burgess’ command. He also set up similar-sounding companies to mislead customers by convincing them to sign contracts but not doing any of the work.

Burgess surrendered to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in August 2022, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for him.

Burgess was sentenced to one count of organized fraud over $50,000. He was also forced to pay over $400,000 in reparations for the fraudulent plan.

This article originally appeared on NBC2.