Shark fisherman accused of embezzling over $194K from Kentucky church
A shark fisherman and professional roofer has been arrested after being accused of stealing over $194,000 from a church in Kentucky.
John David Boggs, a 50-year-old resident of Shepherdsville, was arrested late last month after a congregation in Hodgenville claimed that he was paid $194,791.90 last year to replace the church roof only for him to fail to start the project.
Boggs was apprehended with the assistance of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, who took him into custody before he was extradited, according to a press release issued by Hodgenville authorities.
Boggs was known for being a land-based shark fisherman on Marco Island, having gone before the Marco Island Code Enforcement magistrate on the day of his arrest to get permission to continue his shark fishing business, Coastal Breeze News reported.
He is slated to go before a court in Kentucky on Nov. 25, and then will again go before the Marco Island Code Enforcement magistrate on Dec. 17, Coastal Breeze News added.
Bogg’s roofing company, My Affordable Roof, was incorporated in 2017, shortly before Hurricane Irma struck the state, according to the Fort Myers, Florida-based WINK News.
My Affordable Roof has been the subject of multiple complaints from customers alleging incomplete work, with the company filing for bankruptcy in 2019.
“The primary purpose in filing for bankruptcy is to preserve the company’s ability to finish the jobs that are currently underway and those that we are left to complete. This is why the company chose to file a Chapter 11 restructuring, and not a Chapter 7 liquidation,” stated the business, as quoted by WINK News.
“We care a great deal about our customers. But without continued support from all parties during our restructuring, the company will fail. Such a result will be devastating to our customers. For this reason, we made the prudent decision to commence a court supervised reorganization, which will protect those customers from suffering any harm.”
In February 2020, Boggs and a woman named Amanda Christine Lairsey of Spring Hill, Tennessee, were arrested and charged with five counts of Theft of Property 1st.
According to the Birmingham, Alabama-based WBRC News, Boggs and Lairsey co-owned a company named My Affordable Roofing that allegedly defrauded as many as 30 victims in Cullman County.
At issue were several roofing projects following a local hail storm that still needed to be completed, though some projects were successfully finalized. Authorities estimated that victims in Cullman lost around $167,000.30 victims in Cullman County.