SC prosecutors want man in homebuilder scam to die in prison. He says: ‘Not guilty.’

Christian Novellino is already serving 20 years for stealing huge amounts of money from people near Charlotte and Rock Hill in home building scams.

Yet, in handcuffs, the former contractor walked once again into a York County criminal courtroom Wednesday.

This time, he didn’t hear the word “guilty” from a jury. But he did hear 16th Circuit Senior Solicitor Matthew Hogge say the two decades in prison is not enough. South Carolina prosecutors now want a sentence of life in prison without parole in yet another trial for the convicted scammer.

Novellino’s response: “Not guilty.”

Then he told visiting judge Dale Van Slambrook he wants another jury trial.

When Noveliino, 52, of Clover, was arrested in 2023, documents stated he stole more than $2.4 million from more than 20 people for houses never built near Lake Wylie. At pre-trial hearings after his arrest, people who allegedly lost life savings packed the courtroom to talk about how Novellino took money to build houses that not only never were finished, but sometimes never even started.

In this particular breach of trust with fraudulent intent scam, Novellino is accused of stealing $154,680 from a woman during two weeks in February and March of 2023, Hogge said.

Novellino has denied all the allegations since his arrest in 2023.

He denied the charges at trial in 2025.

He denied them again Wednesday.

The Herald was the only media organization in court Wednesday as Novellino was arraigned on the latest charge and prosecutors served him notice that they are seeking life without parole.

South Carolina law allows prosecutors to seek life without parole for multiple repeat offenders for certain crimes called “serious” offenses n what is sometimes called the “three strikes” law.

Breach of trust with fraudulent intent over $10,000 is considered “serious” under state law.

If he is convicted again, it’s a third strike.

In last year’s trial, a York County jury convicted Novellino of breach of trust with fraudulent intent and obtaining money under false pretenses for another victim. In that case he was running a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” scam similar to a Ponzi Scheme where he would get new money from an investor to pay a debt to somebody else.

Novellino also already has 2012 convictions from building scam crimes.

In previous court hearings, York County top prosecutor Kevin Brackett has said Novellino “shattered lives” by stealing money from people for dream homes near Lake Wylie that never got built. Even the FBI could not find the money, so victims may never get anything back, officials have said.

Novellino has appealed last year’s guilty verdicts but the S.C. Court of Appeals has not heard arguments or ruled.

Prosecutors said they wanted the next trial against Novellino to happen in October. However, that date remains unclear after Novellino sought Wednesday to get a different lawyer than Devon Nielson, the York County public defender appointed to represent him who also handled the 2025 trial.

Another hearing on trial dates and attorneys is set for next month. Novellino will remain in the S.C. Department of Corrections at its Allendale prison pending trial.

This story was originally published August 19, 2026 at 3:44 PM with the headline “SC prosecutors want man in homebuilder scam to die in prison. He says: ‘Not guilty.’.”