PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – A Tampa-area contractor has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an 87-year-old Bay County man who was trying to rebuild after Hurricane Michael.
State Attorney Larry Basford announced that Mark Eugene Stargardt, 66, of Valrico, owner of Stargardt and Associates, LLC, was sentenced Thursday to 60 months in prison after a Bay County jury found him guilty June 16 of grand theft involving more than $20,000. He has remained in custody since the verdict.
Circuit Judge Shonna Young Gay also ordered Stargardt to pay $46,606.33 in restitution to the victim…