Fake plumber stole from Deerfield, state alleges

A man masquerading as a plumber defrauded Deerfield Beach city government of about $300,000, authorities say.

Andre Leite, 50, of Coconut Creek, pleaded not guilty last week after his arrest on charges of grand theft, fraud, money laundering, forgery and being an unlicensed contractor, court show.

Leite was the city’s go-to plumber from 2012 to 2016, working on fixing toilets and sinks at city facilities.

A state investigation found that he had illegally represented himself as a plumber, leading the state Department of Professional Regulation to fine him $12,000 in March 2017.

In an April 2016 interview, Leite told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he didn't know what he was doing was wrong. He blamed an accountant, who he said he no longer could find, for incorrectly filling out the city's paperwork which he signed.

"All these years, nobody said anything about it," Leite told the Sun Sentinel at the time.

When Leite applied to be the city’s plumber, he submitted the license number of another comrecords pany, which is not allowed, authorities said. The Deerfield Beach worker in charge of checking the qualifications no longer works for the city, an arrest report said.

City officials said Andre Plumbing had nothing in its performance history to indicate licensure problems. But the city terminated the contract with