Dylan Wray Moon

A local business owner has been arrested by the Cape Coral Police Department on multiple charges of fraud and grand theft.

According to the CCPD, Dylan Wray Moon, 30, of Southwest 9th Street in Cape Coral, was arrested following an investigation involving multiple victims who reported that he took money as the owner/operator of Oceanside Marine Contracting for dock work that was never completed.

A police report issued today, July 8, states that an Jan. 25, 2023, a man reported to Cape Police that he hired Oceanside Marine Contracting to replace his boat dock at a home near the area of the Cape Coral Yacht Club. The man said he made two payments around Oct. 13, 2022, totaling more than $68,000 to cover a 50% deposit. He said Oceanside Marine Contracting removed the existing dock and ordered a new one, which was not usable because it did not fit. The man said Oceanside Marine Contracting never completed the job and did not return the deposit provided.

Then on April 16, 2022, another man reported to the CCPD that he hired Oceanside Marine Contracting to complete a dock on his property near the area of Mohawk Parkway and Skyline Boulevard in Cape Coral. That man reported a $1,000 check was given to Moon to cover the cost of a permit. The victim reported the permit was issued not through Oceanside Marine Contracting, but through a different contracting company. The CCPD report says the man told police that on Sept. 16, 2022, he made a second payment of more than $30,000 to complete the dock project. He said he waited several weeks after Hurricane Ian to contact Moon about the status of his dock project, and Moon said he lost everything to build the dock in the storm. The man said he continued to wait for the work to be done, and that Moon wouldn’t answer his calls or texts. The victim said Moon never delivered materials, started or finished a job he was hired to do and never returned his money.

Police noted that Moon collected money from the first reported victim in October 2022 after claiming to the second victim that he lost his equipment in Hurricane Ian, which was Sept. 28, 2022, indicating that Moon was still collecting payments from potential clients.

On May 2, 2024, officers with the CCPD met with a woman at another home near the area of Mohawk Parkway and Skyline Boulevard in reference to a fraud complaint.

She told officers that on June 21, 2022, she entered into a contract with Oceanside Marine Contracting to build a dock and gave Moon a check for almost $5,000 as a down payment. She said Moon told her on Sept. 6, 2022, the work would begin in a couple days, and she gave him another check for almost $30,000. After several weeks, no work had begun and no materials were dropped off. Moon told the woman due to Hurricane Ian, he was busy doing other jobs and hers would have to wait.

In January 2023, she reached out to Moon because she hadn’t heard from him and nothing had been done. She said Moon told her he would not be completing the job, she would not be getting any money back and he was filing for bankruptcy.

The Cape Police investigation revealed once Moon collected money from the woman, he did not purchase any materials for her job, indicating the intent to defraud the victim with no intention to start the job he was hired to do. He also did not file for bankruptcy.

On July 5, 2024, Moon was transported to the Lee County Jail on the following charges: two counts in violation of F.S.S. 812.014(2)(b)(1), Grand Theft – $20,000 or more but less than $100,000; one count in violation of F.S.S. 812.0145(2)(b), Grand Theft – $10,000 or more but less than $50,000 from victim 65 or older; two counts in violation of F.S.S. 817.034(4)(a)(2), Scheme to Defraud – more than $20,000; and one count in violation of F.S.S. 817.034 (4)(a)(1), Scheme to Defraud – more than $50,000.

He was released on bond Saturday, July 6, with initial Circuit Court hearings set for Monday, Aug. 5.