Alabama Pool Builder Accused of Theft by Deception

Last week, pool builder, Doug Wilson – the owner of Mobile, AL-based pool company (Wilson’s Pool Design) surrendered himself to Metro Jail. The pool contractor was charged with nine counts of theft by deception after several of his clients claim he took their money but did not complete their swimming pools.

The owner attributes incomplete or delayed work to worker and supply shortages but a long list of fed-up customers believe what’s happening is criminal and are turning to authorities to investigate.

According to court documents, the charges represent more than a quarter million dollars in just those nine cases. More dissatisfied customers are coming out and speaking to authorities about their experience.

Several people, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, signed contracts with Wilson’s company, Wilson’s Pool Design, but never had their pool built.

Kyle Malmay claims to be one of them. Malmay says that he was referred to Wilson in December and claims to have invested nearly $30,000. According to photos, he only has a hole in the ground so far. Malmay claims he requested a refund from Wilson.

“I started getting concerned and in my text messages say, hey I’m losing confidence here when is this going to be done?” Malmay told reporters. “He’d always say or we’re going to be out there. He would say I promise I will be out there tomorrow, or I promise I’ll be out there next Wednesday. Did not show up.”

Malmay isn’t the only one who didn’t get his money back, according to MCSO Detective Joshua Grimm. Another customer, Phillip Ward, claims Wilson started work on his pool last year but never finished it. Ward claims he began to suspect something was wrong in June.

“He basically dug the hole, wouldn’t show up when he was supposed to, put us off,” said Ward.

Dissatisfied customer, Sandy Smith, stated that she will also file a complaint. Currently there is an eight-foot hole in her backyard that she claims should have been a finished swimming pool but has instead become a breeding ground for mosquitos.

Smith claims she agreed to pay Wilson’s Pool Design $70,000 in January 2019, but the project was halted after she paid about $50,000. She claims she was given the brushoff by the owner, who she claims caused $15,000 in damage elsewhere in the yard during the project.

“On average for each individual person so far we’re looking at about an average of $40,000,” Detective Grimm told reporters. “It was a bunch of concerned citizens that were making complaints about this same company.”

News sources reached out to Wilson’s attorney, Christine Hernandez, who claims there is more to the story.

“Mr. Wilson is a businessman and I believe this matter will be resolved,” said Hernandez, “Everything that you see on Facebook or everything that you hear from your neighbor is not necessarily one-hundred percent accurate.”

“I’m not taking people’s money and running. I’m trying to get them done,” owner Doug Wilson told reporters.

Wilson claims that both Ward’s and Smith’s projects involved change orders, and that if Smith had completed the payments, the project would have been completed a long time ago. She denies it.

According to court records, another couple was awarded a $47,000 default judgment in February after suing Wilson for fraud and breach of contract in their pool project. Wilson claims he did not appear in court because he is attempting to save his struggling business, which he claims has been severely harmed by rising fuel prices, inflation, and material and labor shortages.