INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — An Indian River County builder was arrested Wednesday after Contact 5 reported earlier this year that several customers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, and their homes were never completed.
Dillon Zayne Slater, 30, the owner of Slater Construction, faces multiple charges after the sheriff's office said he defrauded members of the community.
Detectives said Slater and his company deceived at least four people for numerous projects that were either never started or abandoned before completion.
The victims were defrauded out of nearly $400,000, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
Slater faces the following charges:
- Organized fraud of over $50,000
- Scheme to defraud a financial institution
- Stop payment with the intent to defraud
Authorities said Slater, who was already on probation, was arrested while also being served with a violation of probation warrant.
Slater, who lives near Vero Beach, had his building license suspended in June.
Some of his alleged victims told WPTV that they gave Slater more than $100,000 in cash upfront for projects that were never completed.