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Pasco carpet cleaner bilked widow for thousands

Deputies say a 29-year-old man convinced an 84-year-old woman that her carpet harbored deadly mold.

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER
Published May 23, 2006

The 84-year-old widow moved to Holiday in November, leaving her children and grandchildren back in Pennsylvania.

In December, she decided to get her carpets cleaned, and picked RG Carpet Cleaning and Restoration out of the Yellow Pages.

Then Jeremie Joseph England showed up at her door.

The woman told the Times that England inspected her rug, saw mold and screamed:

"It will kill you! You've got to knock these walls down."

The woman said she replied: "Are you crazy?" and England said, "Do you want to die?"

Reluctant at first, but fearing for her safety, the woman agreed to let England fix the problem. It turned out to be a $148,650 mistake.

Soon, more workers arrived, and with them, noisy dehumidifiers that operated for three days straight.

Then, the walls came tumbling down.

"He had some of his men come in and knock down bedroom walls and closet walls and the linen closet," said the woman, who is not being identified because of her age. "He didn't give me a contract or tell me how much it would cost. He just kept asking for checks."

England persuaded the woman to take out a $55,000 home equity loan to pay for the mold repair. He told the woman his credit was bad, so he had her open accounts at Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Home Depot.

"He maxed them out to $10,000 each in my name," the woman said.

Meanwhile, England pampered himself with a 2002 Mercedes, airline tickets and a casino trip to New Orleans, using the woman's money.

He even referred to her as "Grandmother" while the two made purchases, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office affidavit.

England removed rugs and installed tile in the living room, dining room and TV room, the woman said.

England's work left the woman's home with missing grout and tile that didn't meet the baseboards, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

The last leg of the project was the woman's Florida room, where England threw the rugs away and advised she put in tile. He never installed it, the woman said, and the cement floor remains exposed.

"He was almost finished," she said. "He didn't come around any more, because I don't have any more money."

Less than 10 percent of the $148,650 the woman paid England went to home improvements of tile, drywall and cabinets, the affidavit said.

As England kept asking for money, the woman said, she called deputies last month.

Deputies arrested England, 29, of 1521 Toledo St. in Holiday, on Sunday. He was charged with scheme to defraud and grand theft. England appeared before Judge William Sestak via teleconference Monday from a Pasco County jail. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim.

England was on probation in Pinellas on charges of worthless checks and fraudulent use of a credit card. His arrest violated his probation, and he was held without bail at the Land O'Lakes jail.

England's criminal record dates to 2002, and charges include battery and fraud.

Meanwhile, the elderly woman owes $4,000 to her bank in overdraft fees, an affidavit said.

After calling authorities, the woman said she feared for her life. One of her sons came from Pennsylvania to see about her, and for a few days, she stayed with a friend, afraid England would come after her.

"My son was afraid for me, that he (England) would hurt me," she said. "At least my family isn't afraid something will happen to me. I am glad it's over."

Times staff writer Molly Moorhead contributed to this report.

[Last modified May 23, 2006, 08:38:46]