Embattled Bruno Total Home sells amid criminal investigation

A Bonita Springs company under investigation by the Florida attorney general sold its assets and client list to Davie based Air Pros.

According to a public relations firm representing Air Pros, the company will honor all Bruno customer service agreements and warranties.

In January, investigators with the Florida Attorney General and Cape Coral Police Department raided the Bonita Springs headquarters of Bruno Total Home Performance. The Attorney General’s Office has pending civil and criminal investigations into the company.

More than 230 former Bruno customers have filed complaints with the AG, according to communications director Kylie Mason.

Mason would not comment further on the investigations or provide a timeframe on when they would be complete.

There are several pending lawsuits against the company, owner Louis Bruno and financing companies that paid for AC work. The suits allege that Bruno and his representatives engaged in fraud to forge their names on documents and sign them up for financing.

Louis Bruno has consistently maintained that his company did nothing wrong.

“The AG investigation was a misunderstanding from the start, we are celebrating one of our best years yet and my partners and I are excited the regulatory chaos did not derail our initial goal of successfully exiting the Bruno business,” wrote Bruno via email.

In the meantime, an attorney representing several customers in suits against Bruno said the sale does not change anything for the pending litigation. Robert Goodman said he plans to pursue judgments for his clients even if the criminal investigation results in arrests.

A representative for Air Pros said the company could not speak to the investigations or lawsuits.

“In doing our due diligence over six months, we did significant customer interviews and surveys, finding that 91% of customers were pleased with their services, which played a role in our decision to proceed with the acquisition,” said Josh Weiss of 10 to 1 Public Relations.

Goodman said he found that estimate hard to believe given the hundreds of complaints to the Attorney General and the dozens of customers who’ve contacted him.

“[Air Pros] plans to take on Bruno’s best practices, so if those best practices include changing $18,000 for ductwork on a three-bedroom house, or $16,000 on an air conditioner than someone else can install for five or six thousand than I’m guessing my phone will continue to ring,” he said.

In an additional statement, Louis Bruno said, in part:

“As for me, I’m excited to begin my next career chapter, growing my software company focused on assisting small and mid-sized HVAC companies across the country.

I’m very proud of the company we built and will forever be appreciative for the trust that customers and co-workers placed in me, and Bruno Total Complete Home Performance.”