Fake contractor under arrest in Collier County

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – After months on the run, a man is behind bars accused of pretending to be a contractor.

One homeowner tells WINK News he hired 60-year-old Francisco Mirabal to do work on his house last year. The owner handed over more than $3,000 and said he never saw Mirabal again.

“All I want is, gimme my money back that’s it, that’s all I want.”

Last February, Julio Pena said he hired Mirabal to build a patio in the back of his house.

Pena tells WINK News Mirabal wanted $3,500 to buy materials to get the project started. He said Mirabal gave him a receipt, after he withdrew the money from his bank account.

“When I gave him the money he said he would come back, buy some material, he never show up.”

After months of trying to get a hold of Mirabal, Pena called the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for help. Investigators said Mirabal moved to the Miami area but recently came back to Collier County and that’s where deputies took him into custody on Wednesday.

“That’s good because that way, you know, he can’t take no more money from anybody.”

Mirabal told deputies he didn’t know Pena or take any money from him.

Deputies said Mirabal had printed new business cards recently that had new contact information on it. They said he is still not registered as a contractor in Collier County.

Mirabal faces charges of grand theft and contracting business without a certificate.