ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board employee is behind bars after what the sheriff called a “classic case of public corruption that stems from greed and the abuse of power."
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri gave details on the alleged crimes of former county employee Andrea Wagner on Wednesday, just hours after her arrest.
According to Gualtieri, it all began back in 2020 when Wagner initiated a partnership with Chris Thompson and Rachel Debrakins, the owners of St. Pete general contracting company Credence Construction.
As an investigator for the construction licensing board, it was Wagner's job to respond to complaints and issue citations for "unlicensed or shoddy work," the sheriff explained. But she instead began referring customers to Credence for profit and letting complaints against them slide, he added.
Gualtieri said, at one point, Wagner did cite DeBrakins for unlicensed contracting for a separate cabinet company she owned but also wrongfully cited the person who filed the complaint.
This was the start of Wagner's "pattern of retaliating against people that complained about her new-found business partners Thompson and DeBrakins," the sheriff said.
He said Wagner lent money to Thompson and Debrakins on multiple occasions for them to do work on properties she owned. She also agreed to sell Thompson a home for $115,000 once he was done fixing it up, according to Gualtieri.
But, Wagner reportedly wasn't happy with the work being done on her property, so she tried to ask for the money back — a total of $214,000, which includes the price of the home. No money was exchanged.
Around the same time, Gualtieri said Thompson listed the home for $749,000 and "Wagner lost her mind." She reportedly said she wouldn't hand over the deed to the house unless he paid her an additional $136,000.
"I will make a deal to turn a blind eye to your properties," Wagner wrote in a text message to Thompson, according to the sheriff's office. "I just want my money back and I’ll stay quiet."
That's when Thompson decided to contact his lawyer who got in touch with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Wagner now faces felony charges of bribery and official misconduct. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Jason Evarts at 727-582-6243.
You can watch the full press conference below.