Authorities say Richard Woodward stole more than $75,000 from seven clients after not finishing work he was paid to do following Hurricane Sandy.
Authorities say Richard Woodward stole more than $75,000 from seven clients after not finishing work he was paid to do following Hurricane Sandy. (Ocean County Prosecutor's Office TOMS RIVER - A Florida-based contractor has been arrested on charges he stole from several victims following Hurricane Sandy by allegedly not finishing work he was paid to do, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday.
At approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday, officers from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department located and arrested 63-year-old Richard Woodard on Friar Tuck Lane in Dunedin, Florida at the request of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Economic Crimes Unit.
Woodard and his company - Willwood Builders of Clearwater, Florida - are alleged to have taken in excess of $75,000 from a total of seven known victims in New Jersey, the prosecutor's office said.
Authorities said Woodard never finished worked he was paid to do through his clients' savings, insurance money and state Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation grants after Hurricane Sandy.
The prosecutor's office's Economic Crimes Unit charged Woodard with theft by failure to make required disposition on behalf of the seven known victims.
His bail was set at $150,000 with no 10-percent option.
Efforts to extradite Woodard to Ocean County have already begun, the prosecutor's office said.
Anyone who may have experienced issues with Richard Woodard's Willwood Builders Construction Company is asked to contact OCPO Economic Crimes Unit Detective Lindsay Llauget at 732-929-2027 Ext. 3462.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.