TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution secured a 30-year prison sentence for Chrystal Washburn, owner of Amore Pools, in connection with a million-dollar pool contracting scheme. The Honorable Judge Dan L. Vaughn delivered the sentence following Washburn’s conviction for defrauding Florida homeowners.
Chrystal Washburn and her husband, Brian Washburn, accepted deposits and payments for pool installations but often left projects incomplete, resulting in hazardous conditions in victims’ backyards. The couple misappropriated over $1.2 million through their fraudulent activities.
Attorney General Ashley Moody commented on the case: “This couple promised to deliver dream pools but left holes in Floridians’ hearts and backyards by abandoning pool projects and stealing more than $1.2 million in cash. Thanks to our Statewide Prosecutors, Chrystal Washburn will now serve 30 years in prison for operating this scheme.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation revealed that Chrystal Washburn obtained her contractor’s license fraudulently and lacked experience in the pool industry. She falsified application details and forged another contractor’s signature to claim she had extensive industry experience. Additionally, she acquired local contractor licenses across various Florida counties using false endorsements from a Palm Beach County engineer.
Brian Washburn played a significant role by selling custom dream pools to homeowners and performing some construction work while Chrystal managed contracts and payments behind the scenes. The couple marketed Amore Pools as a family business using attractive digital presentations and emotional appeals based on past family tragedies to persuade homeowners into signing contracts with large upfront payments.
To conceal their fraud, the Washburns converted customer checks into cash via third-party check-cashing stores and committed identity theft by forging customer signatures on permit applications. Some victims faced property liens due to unpaid vendor bills by Amore Pools.
A jury found Chrystal Washburn guilty of multiple charges:
– One count of false information on an application for a contractor’s license (third-degree felony)
– One count of unlicensed contractor during a state of emergency (third-degree felony)
– One count of organized scheme to defraud (first-degree felony)
– Seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information (third-degree felonies)
– Two counts of money laundering (first-degree felonies)
– One count of omitting/concealing information to avoid workers’ compensation premium (second-degree felony)
– One count of insurance application fraud (first-degree felony)
Previously, Attorney General Moody’s OSP secured a 30-year prison sentence for Brian Washburn as well.
Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Jonathan Bridges, Cynthia Irvin, and Sophia Birriel-Sanchez prosecuted this case.
For resources on avoiding pool contractor scams, refer to Attorney General Moody’s “Scams at a Glance: Sink or Swim” brochure.
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