06/22/09

Pinellas man arrested in alleged mortgage scam

by suppressed

A Largo man has been arrested on seven counts of false or fraudulent acknowledgments by a notary public, the Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioner said Wednesday.

Peter E. Wozniak was charged and booked into the Pinellas County Jail on $14,000 bail, a release said. The charges stem from Wozniak asking the victims to sign an installment payment contract for roof repairs and then notarizing the signatures and allegedly using them without the homeowners' knowledge to file second mortgages with the Hillsborough County Clerk's Office in the name of Home Improvement Services, the business for which he worked.

The Commissioner's Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement worked the case after a three-year investigation that began with a referral to Bronson's office by the State Attorney's office in Tampa involving the business practices of Home Improvement Services. The company was involved in the business of installing new roofs on existing homes.

OALE investigators have identified at least seven victims but suspect that there may be additional cases in which second mortgages were taken out on homes on which the company installed new roofs, the release said.

The state is asking anyone with information on the investigation or who believes that they have been victimized by the company to contact call (800) 342-5869.

• Pros: none
• Cons: illegal