'Granite Gangster' rearrested on new fraud, theft, unlicensed contracting charges

Charles D. Ogden, the Holly Hill businessman who calls himself the "Granite Gangster," was rearrested Monday on three new felony charges, court records show.

Ogden, 48, of Ormond Beach, faces a slew of fraud-related charges linked to work he performed, sometimes shoddily, customers said, as well as work he promised but never delivered following the 2022 hurricane season that left thousands of Volusia County homes damaged.

The new charges are an organized scheme to defraud more than $50,000, a first-degree felony; grand theft over $20,000, a second-degree felony; and contracting without a license during a state of emergency, a third-degree felony.

The latest case investigators brought involved a 75-year-old Vietnam veteran who lives on the same street in Edgewater as a previously identified victim.

Billy Joe Farek's Pine Tree Drive house had been flooded during Hurricane Ian. Days later, Farek saw Ogden driving a truck with an East Coast Countertops logo in his neighborhood and ultimately signed a contract to have Ogden's company repair and remodel his home.

Work began in late October 2022. Between October and November that year, Farek paid Ogden $60,000, documents show.

"Work was slow and some of the materials delivered were not agreed upon or damaged," a charging affidavit states.

There were numerous problems, including all of the doors were not replaced; rectangular sinks being installed when oval-shaped sinks had been purchased; no backsplash was added; the microwave cabinet was installed too high, making it unusable, the affidavit states.

"The electrician (Brett) was sent to my house to install lights in the kitchen and baths," the report quotes Farek as saying. "He left holes in the ceiling. He installed outlets for the dishwasher and microwave but did them in the wrong places. Brett also installed the A/C thermostat on the bedroom wall, not the kitchen where it had been."

Ogden later abandoned the job, only to later have his son come to the home to install the backsplash. The son "said he did not want (Farek) joining the rest of the people complaining," the affidavit states.

Edgewater city officials told investigators that neither Ogden nor anyone from his company obtained any permits to carry out the work.

Farek made his initial complaint to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Only later did the State Attorney's Office request Edgewater police investigate.

On March 6, State Attorney's Office Investigator James Turner went to the Volusia County Jail to interview an inmate, Brett Russo, 29, of Daytona Beach, who said he had worked for Ogden as a handyman and electrician in 2022. He confirmed changing light fixtures and outlets at Farek's home. Russo, who is serving a 364-day sentence after pleading no contest to four animal cruelty charges last year, is not a licensed electrician, the affidavit states.

Ogden was released Monday night on $75,000 bail − $50,000 for the grand theft charge, $25,000 for the contracting allegation.

His attorney, Aaron Delgado, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Victims urge Ogden's rearrest

Victims in two other cases from Port Orange recently wrote the State Attorney's Office requesting that Ogden be rearrested. In emails posted to the court docket, they compared Ogden's situation to that of Steve Parker, a Daytona Beach Shores man who had been originally arrested in October 2023 on similar charges, including contracting without a license and fraud, and was rearrested two additional times last week as new charges were filed.

Patrick Herlehy, whose family paid Ogden $48,000 for a job that he says was largely botched and needs to be redone, wrote prosecutors asking for a no-contact order as he was anticipating harassment from Ogden. And he had another request: "Us victims do believe Ogden should arrested again and ... his current bond (revoked) due to the continuing scam to fraud the consumer on social media."

Victim Melanie Cain says she lost $34,000 to Ogden, who she hired after Hurricane Ian damaged her home. Ogden's crews completed a few days of work, then stopped, leaving her home largely undone. When she fired Ogden, he refused to return her money, she said.

"You all are sending a message that he is a very special guy," Cain wrote. "If Steve Parker was issued a warrant and rearrested, why not Charles Ogden?"

Ogden appeals $12,000 judgment

Ogden's legal woes aren't limited to criminal court. He lost a civil judgment on Feb. 28 in Volusia County Court after a homeowner from Edgewater hired Ogden's business, then known as East Coast Countertops and All-Wood Cabinets sued.

The homeowner said he hired Ogden in May 2021 to remodel his kitchen and three bathrooms. The complaint alleged the countertops and sinks that were installed were "defective and inferior to the installation standards of Volusia County."

Judge Robert Sanders wrote in an order that Ogden failed to file a proper response to the allegations and must pay the plaintiff nearly $12,000.

Ogden's attorney, Jason Haar of Daytona Beach, filed a notice of appeal with the 5th District Court of Appeal, which is reviewing a potential mediation of the judgment.

Customer Complaints: Hurricane Ian damaged their homes, but they were revictimized by an unlicensed contractor

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Holly Hill businessman jailed on new felony charges on top of 7 others