A 45-year-old Palm Coast handyman is facing fraud charges after investigators say he used a client's credit card to pay for a resort stay and to funnel money into his family's cleaning business. Jesse Modzel ran inside a home and hid in the backyard when deputies showed up with an arrest warrant last Friday, before they tracked him down and took him into custody.
The case began in December 2025, when a Flagler County resident reported unauthorized charges on his credit card, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. The resident still had the physical card in his possession and told investigators he had not made the purchases himself. Detectives determined that Modzel, who worked as a handyman, had gained unsupervised access to the victim's home through his family's cleaning business, Breezy Clean.
Investigators allege Modzel used the victim's card to book stays at a Palm Coast resort and to make payments directly to Breezy Clean. As detailed by FOX 35 Orlando, the billing description on the business account was changed shortly before those payments went through, in what the Sheriff's Office described as an apparent attempt to disguise the transactions. Detectives said they were still able to trace the money back to Modzel.
Sheriff Calls Out Alleged 'Staycation' Scheme
Sheriff Rick Staly did not mince words about the allegations. “This guy thought he deserved a Palm Coast ‘staycation’ on his client's dime,” Staly said, according to the Sheriff's Office. Staly added that Modzel changed account names in an effort to hide the activity, but that detectives followed the money trail straight back to him.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant and went to serve it last Friday. When Modzel spotted law enforcement, he ran inside the home, according to the Sheriff's Office. Deputies located him hiding in the backyard and took him into custody there.
Charges and Booking Details
Modzel was charged with principal to fraudulent use of a credit card, use of another person's identification, and petit theft, second conviction. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and was later released on a $2,500 bond.
Florida's fraudulent-use-of-credit-cards statute, Section 817.61, defines the offense as using a credit card with intent to defraud in order to obtain money, goods, services, or anything else of value. That statute underpins the most serious charge Modzel now faces.
Investigators Suspect There May Be More Victims
Because Modzel's cleaning work gave him access to customers' homes, investigators believe there may be additional victims beyond the one who first reported the fraudulent charges. The Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who believes they were victimized by Jesse Modzel or Breezy Clean to call 386-313-4911.
Cases involving tradespeople exploiting access to clients' homes are not unique to Flagler County. Earlier this year, police in Pinecrest said a handyman used a deceased senior's credit card to pay property taxes on his own $1.7 million home, as reported by Local 10 News. The Flagler County investigation remains active as detectives work to determine whether other customers were affected.
