7 News Belize

Swift Says She Got Swindled Out Of Her Retirement Dream By Con-Man Contractor
posted (November 2, 2016)

Gloria Swift is a Belizean American, who planned to spend her retirement in Belize.  She saved her money and invested it into a house in Bermudian Landing.  That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars, left in the hands of a local contractor who she instructed to buy and build quality.  But, she ended up with a white elephant – and says the contractor conned her.  Today Alex Courtenay visited her to get the story:

Gloria Swift has had plans to move back to her hometown of Bermudian Landing from the US for over a year now. During that time, Swift hired contractors to build her a home, some guest houses and a learning and enrichment centre for the children in her community. Swift, a lifelong educator, told us why this was so important to her...

Gloria Swift
"We had several plans being a former educator I thought about an enrichment centre for students. What happened was a year ago when I came I met with several parents and they were discussing that because their kids were in the village they felt like their kids have been left behind and so I decide with my experience I could do an enrichment centre. From after school tutoring, we can look at math and science and do a lot of activities more hands on than what they're doing in the classroom.â€￾

Swift has had some bad luck with contractors while trying to build her home and enrichment centre, but after she met Benigno Betancourt, she thought her troubles were over...

Gloria Swift
"Yes I met a gentleman by the name of Benigno Betancourt, I saw the sign on the 10 mile highway, Northern Highway and we called him the night, it was raining and he came the next day. And so we explained to him what the desires of the family were and he walked around and took a look at the property and he said "I can help you."

"It started when I was here, I hired him on July 1st but before I hired him he came on the property about 2 weeks just walking around checking things, I guess getting a feel for what I could do and I was impressed because I had some other people working on the enrichment centre which built in honour of my dad and mom because they pushed education so I decided that without their help we couldn't be where we were. So that school was in dedication to them and he use to go over there and get on the work men. I heard him one day say you are not doing that right, that lady is not going to pay you to do it twice, do a good job so I was impressed I never hired this man but he was looking out for my best interest."

However, according to what Swift told us, her first impressions could not have been more wrong...

Gloria Swift
"So I signed a contract with him on July 1st to work on this building first. It was supposed to be finished 5 months and 3 weeks which would have been in December 2015 but when we came in December for Christmas because we said we would have a house for Christmas it was not quite completed. The Downstairs was a mess, the bathrooms were not working, the pluming was not installed so we had to go back and stay in our old house. At that time he knew we had other projects that needed to be done."

"So then, Mr. Benigno Betancourt said to my sister and me we were meeting with him to go over drawings and stuff for the other projects and he said give me the projects so I can sure I keep my work men busy. Well I'm not one to deprive people of money so we went along with it. So he gave us the drawing, this is what we want for the guest house number one; this is what we wanted for number two. For example we wanted two doors on the buildings because of the bars. When I came back in April I had one door on each building. I need an enclosure for washer and dryer, when I came back that wasn't there but he sent me a separate bill even though he was charged before. So this is where I began to wise up but it was too late."

And even though the buildings were complete, Swift says that the bills just kept coming...

Gloria Swift
"So instead, when he sent me incidental bills I call them he said I forgot to do this, I didn't bill you for this, oh you need to do this because I had to make a change, I try to put the steps over here it didn't work I had to move them over here. Well you know I went ahead and I paid and I just tried to get a building where when my mom came this year she had some place she could relax. So I blew it because number one I paid ahead of time without seeing the actual job. When we came in April when he said everything was finished when we came with the container from port we realised that the stuff wasn't ready. The door where I left him the locks, there were no locks on the door; he had told my sister and me in December that you all have too many locks so I'll put my own locks on the door when you guys come then you can sit down and tell me what you want where but when I came and no locks were on the door and I said where are my locks he said you didn't leave any here.â€￾

And that's apparently not where the alleged theft ended.

Gloria Swift
"So then when we emptied the container well I was staying in the city that week. So we left and we went down with my cousin, we left him here because he had the key. He had moved into this residence by the way because once the top was liveable he said he's going to move in to watch the place because until he turns it over to me he didn't want anything to be stolen; how could you reject that? It sounds good so I was okay you can stay there, watch the place and get you're building done. Well we left the stuff the night, people were stealing stuff from that first night because when we came back the next day and we have a list; box number one what’s in there, box number two then we realise the TV's, two 24 flat screens were gone, the juicer, the crockpot, the this the that. My china, they took the china out the wrapping paper but they left the wrapping paper in the box so as we started to go down the list we realise somebody got in here that night.â€￾

Now that Swift believes that she has not only been conned, but stolen from, she is moving forward with the only action she feels she has left...

Gloria Swift
"I am working with an attorney at this time and we're hoping that there's some homework to be done that has already started and hopefully even if he's out of the country we can still proceed and when he does come back which I find it hard to believe that he will come back after he's been selling his lively hood, his tools and stuff like that. But even with him gone I understand that we can still do something but even if I don't monetary damages it's the principle of the thing and hopefully if he dares to come back to this country people will see and realise yes she was the fool to pay him ahead of time without verifying the job but now we learn we are not going do that again and he will not put one over on us."

Swift has also filed a police report against Betancourt for the stolen goods. She told us that she plans to write a book about her experience, and will do her best to get the word out and make sure no one else fall victim to this alleged con.

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