Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Sandy reacts to seeing homebuilder arrested: ‘He has destroyed lives’
Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Sandy reacts to seeing homebuilder arrested: ‘He has destroyed lives’
Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Sandy Yawn is relieved to see justice served following the arrest of Spencer Calvert, the disgraced Florida developer who disappeared after starting construction on her Nocatee, Fla., home.
During an interview with First Coast News, the reality star, 59, was shown footage of Calvert’s February arrest, which saw him charged with “embezzling and misappropriating more than $100k in construction funds, first degree grand larceny of $100k or more, and organized scheme to defraud.” The video of Calvert in handcuffs, being led away by officers, earned a satisfied reaction from Yawn.
“The destruction of lives is what Spencer has done,” she said after watching the footage. “He has destroyed lives. My reaction is: Finally, justice!”
When asked if she would like to see Calvert put in prison, Yawn replied, “For life? No. For 10 years, I’d be happy with that.”
Captain Sandy revealed in February that she and her wife, Leah, had purchased a $1.6 million house from Calvert’s Pineapple Corporation in January and contracted him to finish construction. But a month later, the builder had disappeared with their funds despite not yet completing the project.
The couple, who had sunk their “life savings” into the home, soon learned that they were not the only Nocatee residents who claimed they were ghosted by Calvert’s company. In the aftermath of his disappearance, Yawn told the outlet that she and Leah were forced to foot the bill for work crews to complete the project, which cost them an additional $800,000 to make the home fully functional.
As for the funds given to Calvert? “It’s gone,” Yawn said. “And that’s our life savings. We emptied out bank accounts and now we live paycheck to paycheck.”
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Shortly after Yawn went public with the story, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a social media statement that Calvert had been arrested. The official investigator’s report from the State’s Attorney’s office, reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, later revealed that Calvert is believed to have embezzled client funds in excess of $2,238,409 through Pineapple Corporation, in addition to an estimated $1,387,772 still allegedly owed to a dozen subcontractors.
The report additionally claimed that the majority of charges to Calvert’s American Express between 2019 and 2024 were personal, including “tickets,” “restaurants,” “plane charters,” and “sporting events.”
Speaking to EW in the aftermath, Leah described Calvert’s alleged crimes as “disgusting.” She recalled telling him, “Honestly, I don’t care what you do on your personal time. I’m not one to judge, but when you’re spending my money and everybody else’s money doing it, that’s disgusting.”
Having taken over contractor duties herself, Leah continued, “We’re having to work so hard to rebuild everything, we’re paying for our house twice, basically.” But she noted that they have come out “stronger” on the other side of the chaotic ordeal, having “learned how to become partners in this as a married couple and kind of carry each other through.”
As for Captain Sandy, the Bravo star said, “We just want to enjoy our lives after this nightmare.”
