Christopher Edward Kane, of Naples, was adjudicated guilty this morning of Money Laundering Over $100,000 and Scheme to Defraud. He was sentenced to more than 5 years (70 months) in prison, followed by 10 years of probation. He was also ordered to pay over $308,000 in restitution.
Assistant State Attorney J.D. Miller, Economic Crime Unit Chief, prosecuted the case.
The defendant owned a cabinet company in Southwest Florida. Following the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, the defendant had numerous customers in Lee County hire his company in early 2023, to repair their cabinets.
The defendant took the money and spent it all on crypto currency. The valuation of the crypto fell and none of the money was used for the cabinet parts and materials he was supposed to purchase to complete the work.
The victims contacted the Fort Myers Police Department after trying to get the defendant to return their money, to no avail. Detectives did an extensive forensic accounting of the money the defendant received from the victims, leading to his arrest.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director