Florida suspect defrauded contracting client for over $427K

Authorities allege that the suspect defrauded a client in over $427,000 in false invoices for house construction materials from 2018 to 2020.

Randall Scott Ruppert, 51, arrived at the Charlotte County Jail on Nov. 18 to surrender on a warrant for his arrest. He has been charged with one count of scheme to defraud over $50,000.

He has since been released on $100,000 bond.

Ruppert was initially investigated by the State Attorney's Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit; the complainant lived in Lee County part-time, but the suspect worked out of Charlotte County and allegedly bought property in Charlotte County around the time of the reported fraud.

According to the arrest affidavit, the complainant hired a Georgia-based firm to build a home on property in Boca Grande in 2017; at the time, Ruppert was assigned as project manager.

The complainant said that he initially got along with Ruppert and progress on the build seemed steady. Over time, however, the project went drastically over budget — the final price ultimately rose from $4 million to $8 million due to delays and price increases.

By 2020, the complainant alleged that he had discovered Ruppert was placing invoices for building materials to a company named Suncoast Supply — which was owned by Ruppert himself.

A follow-up investigation by the State Attorney's Office found that Suncoast Supply issued 69 invoices totalling $427,329.59. Several of those invoices appeared to provide materials that did not line up with the actual project, such as supplying four times the listed amount of exterior trim.

Investigators alleged that Ruppert withdrew money from an account associated with Suncoast Supply and made purchases of land, gym memberships, jewelry, and other transactions for himself and his family in the same timeframe.

When the complainant and the Georgia firm approached Ruppert about this, he allegedly conceded and asked for time to make restitution.

They all eventually signed an agreement to stipulate that Ruppert would repay the amount in full by 2025; however, the complainant had since alleged that the suspect has made no progress on restitution since then.

During the investigation, authorities allege, it was found that Ruppert was listed as the owner of another company named Southern Construction Resources that allegedly billed over $91,000 to provide laborers for the construction project.

The State Attorney's Office noted that the company had no records of worker's compensation insurance — meaning it could either be another fraudulent charge, or it could be a legitimate business expense that still violated Florida law. The second company is currently under investigation.

Ruppert was previously investigated by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office earlier this year on allegations for grand theft and contracting without a license after a neighbor accused him of similar activity. At the time, he made $30,500 bond to be released from jail.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 18.