JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – New developments in a News4JAX I-TEAM investigation into Wyatt Green – a Jacksonville contractor charged with forgery, fraud and grand theft.
The felony charges against Green were amended in court Monday morning, and the accused contractor could go on trial if his attorney and prosecutors don’t reach a resolution within a month.
The I-TEAM has been investigating Green for several years, since the contractor was with Storm Restoration Specialists, LLC, or Storm RS. Prosecutors say Green forged insurance documents and took thousands of dollars from homeowners but failed to complete the work he was paid to do.
Some of Green’s customers – including Hurricane Irma storm victims – tell the I-TEAM they were left with damage they could not afford to pay someone else to fix because their insurance companies had already paid Green.
In Judge Jeb Branham’s Duval County courtroom Monday morning, prosecutors presented amended charges against Green. Previously, Green was charged with 19 counts of grand theft. That’s now been consolidated into four grand theft charges. He had also been charged with one count of forgery. Two additional counts were added, so he is now charged with three counts of forgery. Green still faces one count of organized fraud.
Green did not have to appear in court for Monday’s hearing, so he was not there. His attorney appeared via Zoom and entered not guilty pleas on Green’s behalf.
Green was first charged back in April 2019. The following month, while out on bond, the I-TEAM spotted Green on camera betting thousands of dollars at a Jacksonville poker room. After we brought this information to the State Attorney’s Office, Green’s bond was adjusted to ban him from gambling. Green’s case has moved slowly since, with delays exacerbated by attorney changes and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In court Monday, after Judge Branham was presented with Green’s amended charges, attorneys for both sides indicated they hoped to work out a resolution in the case. The judge set the next court hearing for Nov. 22 and told attorneys that if a deal is not reached by that time, a trial date will be set.