Naples contractor pleads guilty in $1.26M fraud case

An unlicensed Naples contractor pleaded guilty March 30 to wire fraud and money laundering for defrauding an elderly Naples woman out of more than $1.26 million in bogus repairs after Hurricane Ian in 2022. 

The 85-year-old Naples woman, who has since moved to a Fort Myers assisted-living facility, is among numerous victims of Luis Emilio Hernandez in Naples, including homeowners at Esplanade Golf & Country Club, Heritage Bay, Carlton Lakes and Valencia Golf & Country Club. They weren’t part of this case, but several sued and won in Collier Circuit Court. However, they may never see what he was ordered to pay. 

Court records show Hernandez, 45, pleaded guilty during a plea hearing before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Nicholas P. Mizell in Fort Myers. He pleaded to two counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering for defrauding the woman and her now-deceased husband from Nov. 23, 2022, through Jan. 26, 2024, after Hurricane Ian damaged their home Sept. 28, 2022. A federal grand jury indicted him Sept. 24, noting his texts asking her for payments constituted wire fraud. 

The indictment was sealed until Sept. 30, when he appeared in court and was released on his own recognizance after surrendering his passport. He was ordered to take a mental-health exam, find verifiable employment and was prohibited from seeking any financial credit. 

Hernandez must forfeit about $1.26 million to the woman, including any assets traceable to her payments. Sentencing will be on June 22 before U.S. District Court Judge Sheri Polster Chappel. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Darcey. Hernandez is represented by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Molloy, now in private practice. Neither will comment because he hasn’t been sentenced. 

Court records show Molloy is Hernandez’s third attorney and his trial was postponed several times until he agreed to plead guilty. Hernandez hasn’t replied to an email or phone call. The victim has not been identified. 

The indictment alleged that after Hurricane Ian in September 2022, Hernandez convinced the victim to write him personal checks totaling $1.26 million for construction materials and repairs. The materials were never purchased, and no work was completed. Hernandez, who did not have a Florida contractor’s license, cashed the checks for personal use. Investigators also found he never pulled permits. 

“When they met in person, Hernandez would intentionally lull Victim #1 into providing him with money to repair the house,” the indictment states, noting he’d collect a check to “further deplete her of her finances” and used his cell phone to set up meetings. 

After the woman’s home was demolished, Hernandez continued contacting her through text messages and visited an assisted-living residence where she had moved after selling her home and after her husband died, the indictment said. To conceal the source of the funds, Hernandez laundered the money by purchasing and trading in vehicles at several dealerships. 

Although most of the crimes occurred in Naples between Nov. 23, 2022, and Jan. 26, 2024, she had moved to Lee County, where he continued defrauding her. The case was investigated by Lee County Sheriff’s Office Det. Michael Zimmerman, as part of a federal task force, and the U.S. Secret Service. She wrote him 35 checks. 

County business tax records show Hernandez operates as A.R.T. Home Services LLC at his rented home but owes $67 in renewal fees. He also has a certificate for Screenings by Hernandez LLC but owes $220 in renewal fees. State incorporation records list both as inactive. He also advertises Hernandez Detailing on Facebook, but it is not listed in state or county records. 

After the Collier County Contractors Licensing Board fined him $1,000 in 2018 for unlicensed landscaping, he did not pay. In December 2022, the board fined him $2,000 after a homeowner in Esplanade Golf & Country Club paid a $2,500 deposit for a $5,000 landscaping job that was never completed. He did not pay the fine or reimburse the homeowner. 

He faces numerous lawsuits, and five judgments were filed against him last year. Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation records show that in November 2024, when he was operating as House of Screens Services LLC, he was ordered to stop posing as a state-licensed certified building contractor. 

“Mr. Hernandez hurt many people inside the Esplanade while taking money and not delivering the landscaping work he was contracted to complete,” Esplanade resident Dennis Ringland said. “One elderly couple here gave him some money to buy a pick-up truck. I think he got over $20,000 from them. Another family lost $12,000 to him. There are more.”