Fake Plumber Pleads Guilty To Felony Charges

An unlicensed plumber with a history of fraud and theft convictions dating back to 1995, has been ordered to pay restitution to his former Brevard County customers. 60 year old Robert Hibbert pleaded no contest to 8 felony charges Thursday, including grand theft, organized fraud, and contracting without a license during an emergency. Hibbert will have to pay $26,700 to seven Brevard County victims, including a couple in Palm Bay who paid him $9,300 to repair an underground plumbing leak. Prosecutors said after Hibbert tore up their floor with a jackhammer, he never came back to finish the job. Investigators then learned that Hibbert had stolen the identity of a licensed plumber and fraudulently claimed to work for the established plumbing company. Hibbert was sentenced yesterday to 45 months in prison, but the judge gave him credit for the nearly four years that he has been behind bars as he waited for his court cases to be resolved.