The former company owner faces more charges, and new complaints exist.
By NICK COLLINS
Published October 28, 2004
PALM HARBOR - The former owner of Crystal 2000 was charged Wednesday with eight additional criminal counts in Pinellas and Pasco counties as an investigation into the defunct Palm Harbor pool-finishing company continues to expand.
Roden A. Brandt, 69, turned himself in to authorities Wednesday and was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. He was charged with six new counts of grand theft and two counts of unlicensed swimming pool contracting.
Former Crystal 2000 customers have complained that the company promised them a space-age pool finish that would last 10 years or more, only to have the product flake away in a matter of weeks.
Brandt is a co-defendant to the charges in Pinellas County with Paul E. Chenard, 46, who investigators say was the company's general manager. In Pinellas, both men face eight counts of grand theft, a third-degree felony, and four counts of unlicensed swimming pool contracting, a misdemeanor.
In Pasco, Chenard faces two counts of scheming to defraud, according to court documents. Brandt is accused of two counts of grand theft in Pasco, Assistant State Attorney Doug Crow said. An assistant in the Pasco State Attorney's Office said Brandt has a co-defendant in his cases but could not confirm that it is Chenard. The two Palm Harbor men both have pleaded not guilty to all charges, which authorities say involve more than $31,000 in victims' losses. Customers were told the Crystal 2000 product contained DuPont Kevlar, but lab tests showed it did not, according to court documents.
Attorneys for both men have said they have been in contact with prosecutors about solutions to the case that would avert a trial.
Prosecutors have said they will seek restitution for the company's former customers in any potential resolution to the cases.
At the same time, officials at Pinellas County consumer services are investigating 20 additional complaints filed by the company's former customers since late September.
"It's a good-sized stack," said Keith Parks, supervisor of the criminal investigation section of Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services.
The customers have come forward after two Times reports about charges facing the company's former operators.
Investigations into the additional complaints are in early stages, Parks said. The time they take will depend on a number of variables, including how quickly alleged victims can make themselves available for comments and when they can provide documentation of their losses.
The investigations leading to the charges Brandt and Chenard currently face lasted about 10 months, Parks said.
Once the new investigations are concluded, the cases will be handed over to the State Attorney's Office for possible prosecution, Parks said.
In a recent interview, Chenard and his lawyers said Brandt was to blame for customers' problems. They added that authorities have gone too far in labeling Chenard the company's general manager.
"All that I do, and all that I've ever done, is sell," Chenard said Oct. 12.
"They gave him a packet and said, "Go out and sell,' " said Steve Bartlett of Holiday, one of Chenard's attorneys.
Chenard said he did not know the Crystal 2000 product did not contain Kevlar when he was selling it. He added that his involvement with the company lasted about four months, from February to June 2002.
Court records allege otherwise, citing Chenard's involvement in sales as early as November 2001. They also say Chenard handled the day-to-day operations of the company for much of 2002, until it went out of business in June of that year.
Parks said his office stands behind all dates and material included in the investigation report.
Bartlett said much of the investigation was based on comments from a former employee of Crystal 2000 who had it in for Chenard. This employee lost part of his income when Chenard closed Professional Restorations, a contracting company he owned, Bartlett said.
Bartlett added that this employee threatened to get even with Chenard in front of numerous witnesses. When asked to provide contact information for the witnesses, Bartlett declined to give it out.
