NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (WFTS) — The former Owner of Olympus Pools was sentenced to 20 years in prison, 30 years' probation, and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution.
James Staten was found guilty on March 14 on 35 of 36 counts for defrauding customers by accepting money from them while knowing he would not fulfill their contracts.
Multiple victims spoke out in court during the sentencing hearing Wednesday.
Lindas Hagerman talked to us moments before delivering her own victim impact statement in front of the judge.
"I've been wrestling with this issue myself, because at the end of the day, and quite frankly, I don't care what happens to him, it's not going to get me my money back. It's not going to put a pool in my ground," she said.
Hagerman says she paid Staten, yet he never once broke ground on her pool.
"It feels silly being upset about not having a pool, but it's more about and this is my inner struggle. Money is time. We always hear Time is money. Well, money is time. So there was a an amount associated with what it took for me to earn that money, or part of that money I inherited. So there's there's emotional pieces, and there's practical pieces."
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Numerous victims talked to ABC Action News, sharing stories of paying Olympus Pools for contracts that remained unfulfilled. Many reported being left with partially completed projects or no work started at all.
Hagerman, who was one of the victims in the 35 guilty charges, says she's now on a path of regaining trust in contractors.
"Here I am four years later. I still don't have a pool in the ground. I don't trust. It's hard to trust contractors because I never saw this coming. So how to protect myself. How to be better prepared. I'm still working on that," she said.
“It's a little nerve-wracking.”
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