A Florida contractor has been arrested after allegedly threatening a family while demanding $100,000 over a landscaping job he never finished. The dispute started after Hurricane Ian in 2022, but police say things took a different turn when the contractor came back years later looking for his money.
According to WINK News, the Naples Police Department identified the suspect as 27-year-old Christopher Cueva. Investigators say he resumed contact with the family in September 2026, demanding payment through phone calls, text messages, and social media. The family hired Cueva in the autumn of 2022 to repair landscaping damaged by Hurricane Ian, which left properties across Southwest Florida in need of repairs. But investigators say Cueva left the job unfinished and moved to Florida’s East Coast to take on other contracting work.
The family withheld the remaining payment because the agreed-upon work had not been completed. Sergeant Benjamin Vasquez of the Naples Police Department’s General Crimes Detective Unit said the amount in dispute was around $100,000. The disagreement appeared to have gone quiet for years. Then Cueva allegedly got back in touch in September 2026, demanding the money he believed he was owed. Police say his messages soon became threatening.
The landscaper asked the family if they want to “go to war”
Investigators allege that Cueva contacted three family members, including two people over the age of 65. He allegedly sent vulgar messages, demanded payment, and made threats that left the family fearing for their safety. In one voicemail reviewed by police, Cueva gave a victim less than 12 hours to send him the money.
“You got less than 12 hours to send me $100,000,” he reportedly said. Other messages allegedly warned the family that they were “running out of time.” Cueva also asked, “Do you want to go to war?”
The alleged threats went beyond phone calls and private messages. On Sept. 12, 2026, Cueva reportedly recorded a video outside one of the family’s homes. Police say he named relatives and threatened to surround the property with industrial box trucks if they refused to pay.
Investigators also say Cueva showed up unannounced at the family’s business and patrolled around their homes. The family contacted authorities on Sept. 16, worried that the threats could escalate. Naples detectives spent the following weeks gathering evidence related to the alleged stalking and threatening communications. The investigation eventually involved the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, with officers coordinating an operation to arrest Cueva. On Oct. 8, officers carried out a high-risk traffic stop and arrested Cueva without incident.
It’s now up to the courts
The $100,000 at the center of the case was money the family withheld over the unfinished landscaping project. What happened next is now the subject of a criminal investigation, with police alleging that Cueva used threats and intimidation in an attempt to recover the money. The arrest follows several weeks of investigation into the family’s complaints. The allegations against Cueva will now proceed through the legal system.
Published: Oct 15, 2026 02:16 pm