Florida Pool Contractor Stole Millions, Gets 30 Years

Brian Washburn was recently convicted of nine felonies for scamming over 34 Floridian pool customers, resulting in a prison sentence of 30 years. The felonies include organized scheme to defraud, two counts of money laundering of more than $100 thousand and six counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information.

Brian is husband to Crystal Washburn who owns Amore’ Pools. Victims testified that the Washburns agreed to build their backyard swimming pools, but after receiving a deposit, would either never start the building process or never finish it. The latter often resulted in dangerous debris piles and gaping holes.

Brian’s jury trial lasted three weeks, during which time his attorney stated the Washburns never intended to defraud anyone, but rather, the pandemic forced them to never complete the pools because of supply chain issues. However, the 34 victims who testified strongly weakened this reasoning.

The Washburns attempted to cover up the fraud by converting the deposits into cash using a third-party store. Overall, the scheme amounted to nearly $3 million. Crystal Washburn remains in custody at the Indian River County Jail, but her charges and trial date are still pending.

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