Southwest Florida handyman convicted of grand theft after failing to complete work

Reporter: Andryanna Sheppard
Published:
Dwayne Staron

A handyman is now a convicted felon.

A judge found Dwayne Staron guilty of grand theft after he got paid to work on a Cape Coral couple’s home but ran off with the money.

Staron won’t do prison time but will be sentenced to probation, among other things.

His victim told WINK News that is OK.

She is happy Staron is convicted and justice is served.

Staron stole thousands from the Tran family.

Phong and Lihn Tran first shared their story with WINK News last August.

“They are pretty good at not fulfilling their contracts and not fulfilling promises. And as people, I would say they’re not good people,” Phong Tran said at the time.

Phong Tran

The family paid Dwayne’s Handyman Services about $9,000 to remodel their kitchen, repipe their Cape Coral home and change out some doors and windows.

When Staron didn’t do his job, they sued him and won but never saw a penny.

Then in October, Cape Coral police went after him criminally, issuing a warrant for his arrest.

After multiple hearings and several court dates, he pleaded no contest and the judge found him guilty.

“I put my foot forward to hopefully brought some justice or some, hoping to bring some consequences to them. I could have just gave up and just, you know, lost that money,” Lihn Tran said in Oct. 2021.

The consequences for Staron?

Five years probation, 50 hours of community service, and he must take an anti-theft class.

On top of that, Staron has to pay the Trans restitution and more than $600 in court fees.

WINK News reached out to Staron and his lawyer.

Staron emailed WINK News and demanded we stop reporting about him and his business.

Staron’s lawyer said he was not authorized to comment.

Before hiring someone to work on your home, make sure they are qualified to do it.

You can check to see if they are properly licensed on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation site.

And never pay in full. Instead, create a payment schedule based on what work gets done.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.