'Legacy Pools' owners, accused of defrauding 300 people out of $4 million, arrested in AZ

After a nearly 4-year long investigation, the owners of a Brevard County pool company were arrested on January 19, following allegations they defrauded more than 300 people out of millions of dollars.

According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), Charles and Kristin Black, the owners of Legacy Pools, were arrested in Scottsdale, AZ during a routine traffic stop. When a Scottsdale police officer ran their ID’s, their felony warrants popped up, and they were taken into custody.

The couple allegedly took money from people in Brevard, Osceola and Orange counties, and spent it on gifts, travel, gym memberships, car rentals, parties — even a pool for themselves, according to Tod Goodyear with BCSO. 

"When you add in the monies that weren’t paid to employees, contractors, other things – the actual financial loss is closer to four million," Goodyear said.

Goodyear said economic crimes unit detectives have been hard at work on this case after they were contacted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding complaints against Legacy Pools. It was a very in-depth investigation, he said.

"The work that the investigators did is one reason why I never wanted to work on financial crimes – it’s just tedious work of going through bank records," Goodyear said.

The backstory:

In 2023, FOX 35 News told you about one man who said he hired Legacy Pools and put down a $60,000 down payment only to have the crew stop showing up.

According to BCSO, the Blacks’ business was going under, yet they continued to cash checks for new contracts, leaving some customers with holes in their yards – and their bank accounts.

"At least we’re able to give them some closure," Goodyear said. "Unfortunately, we can’t assure them they’re going to get their money back."

What's next:

Charles and Kristin Black will be extradited from the Maricopa County Jail to Brevard County to face legal repercussions.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and the Maricopa County Jail.

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