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Fla. Tree Service Fraud Charges11-01-07 | News

Fla. Tree Service Fraud Charges

The affidavit says that Champions Tree Service was hired to trim trees at a residence that had limbs extending onto a neighbor?????s property. Smith is accused of charging the first homeowner $850 for trimming the limbs and then charging the neighbor $875 for trimming those same limbs, even though he had already collected payment and had only quoted a price of $675.

Champion?EUR??,,????'?????<

Polk County Sheriff?EUR??,,????'?????<

According to the arrest affidavit, Smith and Cathrall are being charged with scheming to defraud and grand theft for work they did between Oct. 5, 2006, and Aug. 31 of this year.

One of the incidents in the affidavit occurred on Aug. 31. It states that Smith was cutting trees in a yard next to the home of Betty Blanton. He told her he could cut an overhanging limb for $200.

She agreed and paid him to cut it and then asked for a quote on more tree work.

He told her he couldn?EUR??,,????'?????<

He then ?EUR??,,????'?????<

When she told him she did not have that kind of money, he had her write two checks, one for $9,000 and one for $6,000.

Kimberly Paulson, a certified arborist, went to evaluate the trees on Blanton?EUR??,,????'?????<

For safety, the trees should be removed and replaced, she said.

If a professional company had pruned those trees, she said, it should have taken approximately 20 to 25 hours, and cost about $3,700 to $5,000.

Source: www.theledger.com