Reality TV star Sandy Yawn, best known as a longtime captain on Bravo’s “Below Deck,” is outraged over an initial plea offer in a high-profile fraud case involving a St. Johns County builder accused of ripping off her and her neighbors.
Spencer Calvert is facing dozens of felonies for allegedly defrauding 13 victims out of approximately $18 million, including Yawn and her wife, Leah, according to court records.
Prosecutors allege Calvert took millions from residents in Nocatee’s The Vista at Twenty Mile to build homes that were never erected.
Yawn said a proposed restitution agreement tied to plea negotiations is unacceptable.
“The initial offer presented to us of $150,000 to be split among all [victims] is deeply insulting given the scope of harm caused,” she told The Citizen. “What is most disturbing is the message being sent—that the victims do not matter.”
She said that the initial offer included about two years behind bars and called it “little more than a slap on the wrist.”
For homeowners, she said, the consequences of Calvert’s alleged crimes were devastating.
“Marriages ended. Families lost everything. Leah and I spent our entire life savings. This wasn’t a financial inconvenience, it was the destruction of people’s lives,” she told The Citizen.
Haley Harrison, a spokesperson for the Office of the State Attorney 7th Judicial Circuit, said she can’t disclose the current plea offer.
“We cannot discuss details as negotiations are currently ongoing. However, we are seeking restitution for our victims, which remains a top priority,” she wrote in a statement. “”We will address all these issues at the appropriate time in the courtroom.”
Calvert is scheduled to appear in St. Johns County court Feb. 11, when he could accept a plea deal. Many of his alleged victims plan to attend the proceeding. Calvert’s attorney, Mitch Stone, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Yawn said she wants the case to go to trial to fully expose the scope of Calvert’s alleged misconduct.
Prosecutors allege Calvert misused money paid to him through his company, The Pineapple Corporation, leaving homeowners and contractors financially leveled.
Yawn and Leah told The Citizen they paid $1.6 million for a Nocatee home Calvert never built.
Prosecutors said Calvert spent more than $730,000 on luxuries, including high-end restaurants, Jacksonville Jaguars tickets, and private plane trips.
Calvert has argued that pandemic-related labor and supply disruptions crippled his business and that he intended to repay homeowners.
Yawn told The Citizen the fallout extended beyond homeowners to contractors who lost their businesses entirely, with some reportedly hospitalized due to extreme stress and depression.
