An Escambia County man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly scamming three people out of money for fences that were never built.
Cody William Brown, 33, was charged with three counts of an organized scheme to defraud, three counts of grand theft, and fraudulent use of a credit card. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
Brown allegedly made a charge of $3,700 to a victim’s credit card on each of three consecutive days for a total of $11,100 to do work at a home on Steeplechase Boulevard in Beulah. No work was done, and no workers arrived, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Unable to reach either of two phone numbers provided for Gulf Coast Fence and Supply, the resident called the deputies to report what he believed “to be an intentional local scam”.
The victim later received a text message from someone claiming to work for “Kodiak Fence Company”, the company named on the victim’s credit card statement. The text claimed that the work would be done, but no further response was received, an arrest report states.
According to the ECSO, Brown is the owner of Kodiak Fence Company, the Kodiak business phone number was used on a flyer for Gulf Coast Fence and Supply.
Brown told investigators that the third charge on the victim’s card was a mistake, and that he would refund the amounts. He stated that he had been sick with COVID, and that is why he could not start construction on…
