Contractor Sentenced After Hurricane Scam | Panama City Beach News

A Tampa contractor, Mark Eugene Stargardt, just got five years in prison for grand theft after swindling an elderly man out of $20,000 following Hurricane Michael. The victim hired him in 2019 to rebuild his home, but no real work was done—just messy demolition without permits. Frustrated, the homeowner reported him to authorities, leading to his arrest. Stargardt must also pay back $46,606.33, a brutal lesson in exploiting vulnerable people during disaster recovery. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/0b3e0f6fb234e96a