Tallahassee, Fla. — In August, law enforcement investigators with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) initiated an investigation into an alleged scheme to defraud Florida consumers involving Kenneth Wayne Smith that was referred by the FDACS Division of Agricultural Environmental Services (AES).
Acting on information obtained during the investigation, OALE investigators obtained two separate arrest warrants for Kenneth Wayne Smith from the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court for a total of two felony and seven misdemeanor charges. On December 8, 2021, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrested Smith on the first outstanding warrant, and he was booked into the Lake County Jail on one felony and two misdemeanor charges with bond set at $7,000. On December 21, 2021, the Ocala Police Department arrested Smith on the second outstanding warrant, and he was booked into the Marion County Jail on one felony and five misdemeanor charges with bond set at $9,000.
“Thanks to the vigilance of our Agricultural Environmental Services and Agricultural Law Enforcement teams, this scheme was brought to light and this fraudster has been arrested. It should serve as a warning to others attempting to target Florida consumers with fraudulent schemes that we take these crimes seriously and there will be consequences for such illegal activity,” Commissioner Nikki Fried said. “Before hiring a pest control operator or any other...
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