Ashley Moody files lawsuit against Tampa solar company accused of scamming more than 400 customers
TAMPA, Fla. - Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against Tampa-based solar company MC Solar and Roofing, claiming the company and its three owners scammed consumers.
Moody said more than 400 people have filed complaints against the business, and many of them are seniors, people with disabilities, people in the military or spouses of those in the military.
"The defendants conducted extremely deceptive and unfair trade practices to convince Floridians, a large number of them seniors, some who had difficulty even understanding what they were contracting to commit to large financing agreements and being responsible and on the hook for large payments for work that was never completed," Moody said.
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She said owners Armando Almirall, Raman Chopra and Michael Crowder promised people federal tax incentives and other deals to get them to sign contracts, then pocketed the money for themselves.
"They started pulling down on the contracts and paying themselves, family members, living luxury lifestyles, which is what we see in these types of scams. And what was just heartbreaking is when consumers started speaking out and trying to cancel agreements, that's when those actions coming back at them, that aggression, sending demand letters, hiring attorneys, threatening higher invoices, that started coming back on the consumers," Moody said.
John Altepeter and his wife said they fell victim to MC Solar. The veteran said the company knocked on his door several months ago and offered him a deal on a solar system for his home.
"They said they were veteran-owned," he said. "I don't know if that's true."
Altepeter said they messed up his roof, didn’t finish the job and started charging him for the solar before it was even installed. They then put a lien on his home. Altepeter said he was also paying his electric bill on top of the solar.
"I'd call them at nine because their office opened at nine, and I would just leave it on my phone, ringing and ringing, and I would at the end of the day, I would take a photo of it and then hang up. So, some of them [the phone calls] are eight hours," he said.
Moody said Altepeter’s experience is on brand with how MC Solar acts. She said they’d either not install the solar system, not finish installation or if they did finish the project, the system usually didn’t work, and they left customers’ roofs damaged.
"The homeowners were on the hook for paying these large amounts, and then they would lien their homes at the same time and then try to convince them to sign different financing agreements at a higher rate. I mean, the amount of deceptive and unfair practices that are involved in this case just, it's like gremlins. They keep exponentially increasing as we keep finding out more information," Moody said.
"They [the consumers] wanted to try to add value to their homes or simply try and save money. We know that times are tight right now for Floridians, Americans, and something like this is devastating in many households," Moody said. "What these folks did to consumers is just unconscionable."
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She said she intends to get victims’ money back and shut down MC Solar. In the civil suit against the company, Moody’s office accuses MC Solar of violating several Florida Statutes including the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
"My primary goal is to shut these businesses down, take away licenses, make sure they cannot take advantage of other people. We also want to make sure that any money or resources that are available that we can get those back in terms of compensation to victims that have been harmed," Moody said.
"We also want to make sure that we're seeking civil penalties when possible and stopping the future harm to Floridians, and we will do that through this complaint and through our temporary injunction and through this civil process," she said.
"It will not be tolerated in Florida, and if you were ever thinking about doing that, and you're watching this, or you are doing that in Florida, you might want to think about moving out of state, because in addition to this civil action, we're also looking at this criminally," Moody said.
She said MC Solar also didn’t pay subcontractors, roofers, electricians or suppliers. Two of the three owners have also spent time in prison for Ponzi-scheme-related activities, Moody said.
She said if you feel like you’re being pressured to sign a contract, especially on the spot, that’s a red flag. Take the time to read the fine print and look the company up on the Better Business Bureau’s website. Moody said ask for references from the company regarding other work they’ve done. She said some businesses will also use a name similar to a business that has a good reputation, so pay close attention to the company’s exact name.
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"Be diligent. Take your time and do your research," Moody said.
She said her office is actively investigating other solar companies.
"I think with this kind of wave and trend and push to look at solar, any time there is a new trend, criminals pay attention. Those that want to use deceptive business practices pay attention," she said.
If you think you’re a victim of MC Solar or any other company, contact your local law enforcement, or the AG’s office at 18669NOSCAM. FOX 13 reached out to MC Solar and Roofing and is waiting to hear back.