Yigal Bitton {BSO}
A man has been arrested after Coral Springs police claimed he posed as a licensed contractor and pocketed nearly $16,000 from a fellow temple member.
According to a Coral Springs Police Department report, Yigal Bitton, 54, of Coral Springs, is accused of starting his scheme in August 2023 when the victim, a fellow member of his temple, hired Bitton to renovate her two-story home.
Records allege that Bitton presented an estimate dated Aug. 29, 2023, under the name “Abbot Construction Inc.” and listed a state contractor license number. The homeowner, under the impression Bitton owned or worked for the company, agreed to pay $15,962 for new balcony tiles, fascia replacement, impact doors, and other work.
Investigators say the victim paid in installments, including two personal checks totaling $5,415 and five PayPal transfers totaling $10,547.50. All funds ultimately landed in accounts linked to Bitton and an entity called “SRB 770 Recovery Kollel Inc.”
The victim told investigators that Bitton did start work, but they quickly noticed leaks around the roof, windows, and newly installed doors. When she contacted the actual Abbot Construction owner, whose legitimate license number Bitton had copied, he informed her that he had no record of the project and had never met Bitton.
Realizing she had been scammed, records show the victim contacted law enforcement and detectives subpoenaed documents from the Coral Springs Building Department, Bank of America, and PayPal, confirming that no permits had ever been pulled for the job and that Bitton is not, nor has he ever been, a licensed contractor in Florida or Broward County.
A photo lineup shown to the victim resulted in an identification of Bitton.
Confronted at police headquarters, Bitton admitted to taking the job, drafting the contract using a stolen license number, and accepting the payments; however, he never held a contractor’s license.
Police estimate the homeowner’s direct loss at $15,962, excluding the additional repairs required to rectify the substandard work.
Bitton was taken into custody on May 30 and transported to the Broward County Main Jail.
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