A husband and wife running a pool construction company allegedly pocketed nearly $200,000 from customers for swimming pools they never built.
Troy Daniel Teems, 52, and his wife Leigh Ann Teems, 52, both of Mount Dora, were arrested Thursday on warrants charging them with fraud.
The couple has been accused of accepting money for seven pools they never built in Sumter County. They were the owners of Staycation Pools & Service LLC.
Arrest reports from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office detailed the alleged fraud by the couple, who are well known in The Villages.
• In November 2022, a 65-year-old entered into a contract with Staycation and then agreed to a change order for the pool project. The customer issued a $23,590 down payment through Citizens First Bank. When no work was performed, the customer sought a refund, but the Teems did not respond.
• Another instance involved a Staycation customer who submitted an electronic deposit of $43,839 to the couple on Feb. 27, 2023. The money was deducted from their Chase Bank account. No work was performed and the customer made numerous attempts to contact the Teems, but they ceased all communication with the customer.
• Another couple put down a $25,433 deposit with Staycation on May 10, 2023. The money was deducted from their Bank of America account. No work was performed and the Teems did not return the couple’s calls.
• The Teems took a $25,881 deposit from a customer on May 30, 2023. Once they had the money, the Teems ceased communication and never began the pool project.
• The following day, another customer put down $29,651 toward a new swimming pool with Staycation through Citizens First Bank. The Teems stopped communicating with the customer and never performed any work.
• A 66-year-old customer entered into a contract with the couple on July 23, 2023 and the customer put down a $21,922 deposit through Chain Bridge Bank. Despite numerous attempts to contact the Teems, the customer never heard back from them and the project was never started.
• On Aug. 14, 2023, a customer issued a $27,855 deposit through Citizens First Bank for a new pool through Staycation. Once again, the Teems took the money, but never started the pool project.
The couple was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. They were released after each posted $10,000 bond.