A Florida swimming pool company owner has been convicted on multiple charges in a scheme that defrauded customers out of millions, officials say. Chrystal Washburn, co-owner of Amoré Pools, was found guilty last week of 14 counts including organized scheme to defraud and money laundering, as reported by CBS12.
According to the Indian River County court documents, a woman paid $28,000 for a pool that never materialized, leaving her with nothing more than a hole in her backyard. The Washburns were arrested in 2021 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after accusations of their company using large deposits from homeowners for in-ground residential swimming pools that remained largely incomplete or never started. In total, victims spanned across Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Brevard Counties.
Sentencing for Chrystal Washburn is set for June 25. Her husband, Brian Washburn, was previously convicted in 2022 on nine felony counts, including first-degree felonies for organized scheme to defraud and money laundering of more than $100,000. According to a post from X of The Palm Beach Post, the fraudulent activity saw customers being swindled out of at least $2 million before the couple's operations were halted.
Florida pool company owner convicted in multimillion-dollar pool contracting scheme https://t.co/nADEWdn0Ki
— The Palm Beach Post (@pbpost) May 28, 2024
This high-profile case underscores a recurring narrative of exploitation within the contracting industry, where hopes are built on the promise of home improvement, only to be dismantled by the greed of those entrusted with such dreams. A woman devastated by the betrayal, told CBS12 News, that she paid around $28,000 for a pool to be in her background, only to be left with a hole in her backyard. The sentence, with its tangible image of a hole where water and joy should have flowed, encapsulates the deep void left by the Washburns' scheme—a hole not so easily filled.
