A Bradenton woman faces a felony charge for allegedly defrauding a Punta Gorda couple by charging more than three times the price she should have to remove wet carpeting from their hurricane-damaged home.

Angie Mell Linzy, 51, is charged with organized scheme to defraud, a third-degree felony, Commissioner Charles H. Bronson of the Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Department said Monday.

This is a criminal matter, as opposed to a price-gouging charge, which is a civil offense, said Terence McElroy, department press secretary.

After the criminal proceedings conclude, attorneys could also decide to charge Linzy under the price-gouging law, said Major Bob Johnson of the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement in Tallahassee.

The enforcement office Tips To Avoid Being Scammed
•Beware of "contractors" who knock on your door offering to fix your roof, windows or other damage.

•Check qualifications, credentials and licenses of contractors. The county occupational license bureau and state Department of Business and Professional Regulation can help.

•Don't pay the contractor too much in advance. A reasonable breakdown is one-third up front, one-third when a significant portion is done and finally payment at completion of work.

•Florida has a law prohibiting exorbitant prices for the sale or rental of essential goods following a disaster where a state of emergency has been declared. The Price Gouging Hotline is 1-800-646-0444.

— Source: State Attorney General Charlie Crist's office has investigated more than 240 possible criminal cases statewide in connection with hurricane fraud or misuse of disaster products, Johnson said. So far, three are going to prosecution.

Criminal charges are considered more serious than civil charges, and investigators wanted to pursue the most egregious charges under the law in Linzy's case, he said.

In that case, Linzy allegedly went door-to-door to homes in the Punta Gorda area about a week after Hurricane Charley hit on Aug. 13, claiming she represented a company called "Suncoast;" she was a mold expert; and she was an authorized contractor of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Authorities could find no evidence the company existed, and FEMA denied any knowledge of Linzy, Johnson said.

The Bradenton woman persuaded Charles and Pat Post of Punta Gorda to pay her $800 to remove wet carpeting from their damaged home — a job that investigators found should have cost about $237, by comparing prices with local businesses.

The couple refused to let Linzy remove mold from their home or cover their damaged roof, Johnson said.

The couple called Punta Gorda police after the work was done. They could not be reached for comment Monday.

"Legitimate business owners and legitimate business people, upon request, will usually provide information about their licensing, their business, contact numbers, references," Johnson said.

"Unfortunately at the time this occurred, it was in the aftermath of a major storm. The area was devastated. There were no telephone lines. There was no power."

There was no sure way for the couple to check Linzy out, Johnson said.

"We hope this case sends a strong message that exploiting our citizens, especially during an emergency, carries a high price and heavy penalty," Bronson said in a prepared statement.

Besides the Punta Gorda case, the office arrested a Sarasota man in October for charging an 82-year-old homeowner in Palmetto five times the advertised price to get his carpets cleaned after the hurricane, Johnson said.

An upcoming case in Winter Haven involves a store owner who allegedly had his employees pick up free water and ice being distributed by a local fire department after a hurricane, then turn around and sell the items to consumers.
The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has the same authority to go after offenders under the price-gouging statute as the Florida attorney general's office, Johnson said.

The department has received about 3,000 price-gouging complaints, McElroy said, most regarding service stations and home service repair shops.

"We expect to be bringing 10 or 20 price gouging cases in the next two weeks," he said.

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