April 17, 2008
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
McCollum Obtains $1.6 Million Judgment Against Collier County Construction Company
~ More than 100 consumers paid deposits for homes that were never built ~
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has reached a $1.6 million agreement with a Collier County construction company and its president, resolving complaints that more than 100 construction jobs were paid for but never completed. Although he has filed for bankruptcy, Richard Leli and his company, Richard Leli Homes, Inc. have agreed to a court judgment which will allow affected consumers to seek up to $25,000 per claim from the Construction Industries Recovery Fund.
The Attorney General’s Office has received complaints from more than 100 homeowners who paid deposits to have homes built in Collier County. Despite numerous attempts to resolve their complaints with Leli, the consumers never saw their homes completed and their deposits were never returned. Leli and his company have been in business since 2004.
As part of the agreement, which has been filed in Collier County and will require Court approval, Leli must surrender his construction licenses and any other occupational licenses he may have obtained. He will be prohibited from engaging in construction in Florida, or in any business which accepts advance deposits from consumers in the State of Florida. He has also reimbursed the state $22,000 for the cost of its investigation.
Consumers who are owed deposits from Leli may contact the Construction Industries Recovery Fund after the judgment has been approved to file claims to recover a portion of their losses. The Recovery Fund may be contacted by 850-487-1395 or online at http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/index.html, where consumers can download a claims form and receive additional information.