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TAMPA (WFLA) — A Florida man was arrested Thursday after he leased out property he didn’t own, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives with the Burglary and Pawn Unit arrested 46-year-old Ronald Pownall after they say he posed as the owner of property in unincorporated St. Pete and “leased” that property to a nursery business.
In August, an investigation began after the sheriff’s office said it learned Pownall fraudulently leased property on 38th Avenue North. Detectives said the nursery business paid Pownall around $62,000 over an 18-month period, during which time Pownall created a fake five-year- contract.
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During interviews, Pownall reportedly told detectives he created the false contract and stole money from the nursery, but would not say what he used the money for.
Detectives also said Pownall operated a lawn and tree trimming business, called “Tree Ninjas Tree Service,” and Pownall failed to have a workers compensation policy filed under his LLC from June 2022 through September 2023.
Pownall is facing one count of scheme to defraud and one count of failure to obtain workers comp. He is being held at the Pinellas County Jail.
