Contractor took honeymoon with down payments from Indian River County residents, detectives say
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Detectives said a building contractor bilked property owners out of down payment money, then traveled across the country and overseas without completing work on several homes.
Dillon Slater, 30, the owner of Slater Construction, was charged Oct. 12 by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office with organized fraud of more than $50,000, scheme to defraud and stopping payment with intent to defraud. The latter charge is a federal offense.
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Slater, who was on probation for 2020 convictions for burglary and violation of protective injunction, remained at the Indian River County Jail Wednesday without bail.
The sheriff's investigation accuses Slater of fraud involving six county residents beginning in April 2020. The affidavit states he obtained more than $720,000 from those customers by taking down payments for projects he didn't finish or never started.
A detective who reviewed the company's financial transactions said Slater was transferring money from his business accounts, then spending it for entertainment, a boat purchase and travel. The latter included trips to Las Vegas, Colorado and Costa Rica. One of the trips, according to the affidavit, was for his honeymoon.
During that time, he was not completing the work at the homes in the county, the Sheriff's Office said. Some customers received partial refunds from Slater, the affidavit states.
Based on the complaints, the Indian River County Building Department suspended Slater's permitting privileges and fined him $70,000.
In May, Sebastian suspended Slater from contracting there for two years and fined him $1,800 based on his diverting money from incomplete projects at three homes, said Wayne Eseltine, building director for the city. As of Tuesday, Eseltine said the fines have not been paid.
Slater is scheduled for arraignment at the Indian River County Courthouse on Dec. 2. An attorney was not listed on court filings. Vero Beach attorney Bobby Guttridge said he had previously represented Slater on the burglary and injunction charges, and showed up in court for Slater's first appearance last week. Guttridge said it is not confirmed yet who will represent Slater now.
Records in Brevard County showed Slater had done some business there and had three complaints in 2020 from homeowners citing incomplete jobs or shoddy work. Otherwise, he has not done any work in unincorporated Brevard since that year.
Lamaur Stancil is the Treasure Coast regional economy reporter covering business and industries, including retail, tourism and hospitality. Contact him at 321-987-7179 or lamaur.stancil@tcpalm.com and follow him at Lamaur Stancil on Facebook and @TCPalmLStancil on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Contractor Dillon Slater accused of defrauding Indian River residents
