Pool company owner sentenced to prison in fraud case, ordered to pay $2M

The owner of a Pasco County-based pool company has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following his conviction on multiple charges, including fraud. 

James Ivan Staten Jr. stole $1.5 million from Floridians as the owner of Olympus Pools by taking their money and failing to complete pool projects, according to a statement from the state attorney general’s office.

Swindled customers spanned Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Polk counties, where customers made large down payments and were left in many cases with “no pools and destroyed yards,” according to a statement.