February 25, 2021
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A Florida contractor has been arrested for selling stolen used equipment to unsuspecting buyers, claiming he bought the machines from insurance companies, according to the Suwannee County Sheriff s Office (SCSO) in Florida.
Tony Darrell Richards, 40, was charged along with three other accomplices. According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, a Tony Darrell Richards holds a certified general contractor license for Fierce Construction in Lake City, Florida.
The Sheriff s Office says Richards was nabbed in a joint investigation into a criminal theft syndicate the SCSO conducted with the Columbia County Sheriff s Office and the Live Oak Police Department. The syndicate had been stealing compact excavators, skid steers, utility trailers and zero-turn lawnmowers across north Florida and south Georgia, says the SCSO.