Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has achieved a guilty conviction against James Ivan Staten, Jr., the owner of Olympus Pools. Staten was found guilty on 35 counts, including aggravated white-collar crime, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, and contractor fraud. He is accused of stealing over $1.5 million from Floridians and failing to complete contracted pool projects.
Staten accepted large down payments from customers in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Polk counties but left them with incomplete pools and damaged properties. “I’m proud to announce that Prosecutors Stephanie Bergen and Panagiota Papakos secured a guilty conviction for this fraudster who turned many Floridians’ dreams of a backyard paradise into a nightmare,” stated Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Little did this fraudster know, he’d be digging himself into a 20-year minimum prison sentence.”
The investigation revealed that Staten took upfront payments through various methods but misappropriated the funds for personal use. He hired subcontractors without paying them, leading to construction liens on homeowners’ properties.
The criminal investigation was led by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office Division of Consumer Protection. Additional support came from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Previously, civil action by the Attorney General’s office resulted in the permanent closure of Olympus Pools and barred Staten from operating any pool company in Florida. His sentencing is set for May 7 with a mandatory minimum prison term of 20 years.
