A 33-year-old man is wanted by Marion County deputies after victims paid him over $8,000 for a construction job that he never started.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods stated that Anthony Silvestris is wanted for organized fraud and grand theft.
According to MCSO, Silvestris went to the victims’ home in May and gave them a quote for him to pour a concrete slab. He had the victims put down a deposit of over $8,000 and informed them that he would start the job after the proper permits were pulled.
When Silvestris failed to start the job, the victims contacted him for updates, and he responded by giving excuses. At first, he told the victims that he had equipment problems, and then he claimed that his spouse had passed away suddenly. Soon after, he stopped communicating with the victims and his phone number was turned off.
Detectives conducted an investigation and discovered that Silvestris had cashed the victims’ check the same day that he received it. In addition, detectives learned that Silvestris had never pulled any permits for the job and his spouse was still alive.
“Citizens, we need to get him off the streets before he steals from anyone else,” stated Sheriff Woods.
If you have any information about Silvestris’ whereabouts, Sheriff Woods asks that you call the Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-56 in your tip.
In the event that you use Crime Stoppers and your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.