Charges double for SC homebuilder accused in York County construction fraud
At least a dozen families have lost money in a South Carolina home fraud scam at the hands of a single builder in York County, prosecutors said in court Wednesday while outraged victims sat feet away.
Christian Joseph Novellino, 49, of Clover, faces a dozen charges in the scheme that allegedly collected millions from those families, 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett said in court. Prosecutors said there may be more charges as the investigation continues.
“This is a massive undertaking,” Brackett said of the FBI and York County Sheriff’s Office investigation into Novellino’s alleged fraud.
Brackett said members of the public have been calling his office and police after Novellino was charged.
“Lives have been ruined,” Brackett said in court. “It is in the millions and millions of dollars.”
Novellino now faces 12 counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, according to prosecutors and court records. Novellino was arrested Monday and charged with six counts. Another six were added Wednesday. He could face as many as 120 years in prison if convicted of all 12 charges.
York County Magistrate Judge Curtis Cousins set a $600,000 bail amount, but prosecutors said in court Novellino was a flight risk with access to millions of dollars of money from the alleged scheme.
Novellino speaks in court
Novellino has not been convicted of any crime in connection to the current charges. He maintained his innocence Wednesday in court.
He said he is not a flight risk and has two decades of ties to York County and the community.
Novellino said he did not steal money. Instead, he claimed he was working to finish homes before being arrested Monday. Novellino said he “may not be the best businessman,” but he was trying to finish houses.
“Stealing? That’s not what I am doing,” Novellino told Cousins.
Cousins said in court Novellino retained Rock Hill lawyer Chris Wellborn as defense attorney.
After court, Wellborn told The Herald he could not comment about the case because he was not in court Wednesday with Novellino.
Lake Wylie and Clover homes
Prosecutors Brackett and Matthew Hogge said that Novellino ran a scheme of taking money up front to start homes that were never finished. Some paid as much as $150,000 upfront for million-dollar homes.
Hogge went over a list of victims who had agreements with Novellino to build never-finished “dream homes.” Many of the houses are near Lake Wylie and Clover.
Describing Novellino in court, Hogge said he’s “not simply a bad businessman, he’s a con artist and a convicted con artist.”
Novellino has a 2012 conviction for breach of trust from a home-building case, Hogge said in court. Then, Novellino was sentenced to five years probation after he pleaded guilty, according to Hogge and court documents.
Victims speak out
Two of the victims from the 12 charges spoke in court Wednesday. Rob Rhode told Judge Cousins he and his wife retired to South Carolina and have yet to see a completed home.
“It has destroyed our life,” Rhode said in court. “It has been a miserable, miserable experience.”
Burt Carey said in court Novellino has not completed his home that was supposed to be finished in 2022.
As of late Wednesday, Novellino remained in the York County jail.
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 6:48 PM.
