Luis Emilio Hernandez, 45, of Naples, plead guilty Monday to two counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering in connection with a $1.2 million scheme to defraud an elderly victim following Hurricane Ian.

Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for each money laundering count. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of over $1.2 million and other assets traceable to the proceeds of the offenses. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, following Hurricane Ian in 2022, Hernandez convinced an 85-year-old female victim and her husband to write him personal checks totaling over $1.2 million for construction materials and repairs that were never performed.

Instead, Hernandez cashed the checks for his own personal gain.

Investigators confirmed that Hernandez did not hold a contractor’s license in Florida, and no permits were ever pulled for any of the alleged work.

The elderly woman sold the home $2.5 million in February 2023 and it was demolished. Even after the sale and demolition, Hernandez continued to contact the victim through text messages and even made personal visits to their assisted living residence in Fort Myers, intentionally lulling the victim to provide him with additional funds.

The woman's husband has since died.

To conceal the source of the funds, Hernandez laundered the victim’s money by purchasing and flipping vehicles in trade-ins at multiple car dealerships throughout the area.

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.