SC builder’s alleged fraud tops $2.4 million in payments for homes he never finished
A York County homebuilder is facing 20 felony charges for an alleged scheme that involved taking millions in payments for houses that were supposed to be built but were never finished, according to arrest warrants in the cases.
Christian Joseph Novellino, 49, of Clover, faces as much as 200 years in prison if convicted of the 20 charges of breach of trust with fraudulent intent. Each count carries as much as 10 years in prison for a conviction, under South Carolina law.
The 20 charges total $2,440,311.37 in alleged fraud, arrest warrants obtained by The Herald show.
Novellino was first arrested by York County Sheriff’s Office deputies early in December when he was charged with several counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, records show. Additional breach of trust charges were added by deputies in the two weeks since Novellino’s arrest became public, according to the warrants and jail records.
Novellino denies allegations in court
Novellino maintained his innocence earlier this month in York County court at an initial hearing on 12 of the charges.
As of late Monday, Novellino remained in the York County jail under $1 million bail, jail records show.
No trial date has been set.
Million-dollar houses never finished
Many of the houses Novellino was hired to work on are close to Lake Wylie and the border of Charlotte and North Carolina. The northern area in York County is among the fastest growing for residential construction in South Carolina.
The houses are mostly high-end, reaching into the millions for some lots, prosecutors said previously in court. Many were dream houses for families, prosecutors said. Novellino required a percentage of the money up front, but little work was done or the houses were not finished, according to deputies, prosecutors, and the arrest warrants.
The payments Novellino is accused of taking range from $480,000 on a lakefront lot at Lake Wylie downward to allegations of over $50,000, warrants show.
Eight of the charges involved claimed breach of trust of more than $100,000, according to the warrants.
Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett, York County’s top prosecutor, said in a court hearing for Novellino earlier this month that people’s lives were ruined when their money was taken and houses were not completed.
Novellino has 2012 felony convictions in a previous house scheme, according to prosecutors and court records. He was sentenced to probation in that case.
