Contractor Horror stories
Protect Your Family from Scams & Risks
Most Contractor Pros Have Never Had a Criminal Check Completed
More than 90 percent of consumers believe that the service people entering their homes have had a background check and drug screening, when the fact is the majority of them have never had a criminal check completed.
Independent research showed that one in five consumers did not feel safe when contractors were in their home. Of this number, 35 percent were still concerned about their safety even after the service person had left their home.
More allegations surface of North Central West Virginia man taking payment for contracting work that isn't done
August 25, 2021
State has issued cease-and-desist orders against Bradley Paul Glaspell, & he's never been issued a valid West Virginia contractor's license, complaints allege.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Three more charges have been lodged against a North Central West Virginia man accused of taking money for contracting work and then not performing the services.
Bradley Paul Glaspell, 47, of Fairmont and Salem, previously had been charged with felony false pretenses by Lumberport Patrol Officer Michael Corder. The lawman alleged Glaspell took $6,750 as an advance on a $13,500 contracting job and then failed to perform any of the work.
Credit: WVNews.com
February 4, 2020
Susan Mauldin allegedly told neighbors she felt intimidated by the contractor, who didn't finish the job she'd hired him to do.
People.com
February 27, 2019
A Kokomo contractor is facing felony charges of home improvement fraud and theft after allegedly ripping off a local family for thousands of dollars in uncompleted work.
Fredrick Northrop, 47, remains in the Howard County jail after he was arrested last week in a case that stretches to late 2018 and includes an enhanced felony charge for a crime involving a swindled senior citizen.
Credit: Kokomo Tribune
February 7, 2018
ORLANDO, Fla. — Some Central Florida customers said a large home improvement chain’s contractors wrecked their renovation projects.
They said Lowe's Home Improvement's preferred contractors performed shoddy work and that store managers were slow to respond.
After learning that dozens of customers complained to state regulators, Action 9's Todd Ulrich took their case to Lowe's top management.
Action 9’s investigation revealed that 42 Lowe's customers have contacted the Florida Attorney General's Office since 2015 to complain about the home improvement contracts.
Credit: ABC Action 9
November 14, 2018
George Patton and Henry Patton both pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin for the Middle District of North Carolina. George Patton also pleaded guilty to evading payment of his individual income taxes.
According to documents filed with the court, George Patton owned businesses that were registered to do business with the federal government, but he was eventually debarred from conducting such business. During this time, George Patton, his wife, Lindsey Patton, and his brother, Henry Patton then conspired to form new contracting businesses for which Lindsey Patton and Henry Patton acted as nominee owners, but which George Patton controlled. Under this arrangement, the conspirators obtained federal contracts totaling over $10 million. In order to conceal the income that he earned from the businesses, George Patton instructed his co-conspirators first to deposit funds from the businesses into bank accounts in their names and then transfer the funds to him. George Patton further concealed his income by directing his co-conspirators to deposit the funds in amounts less than $10,000 to evade currency-reporting requirements.
Credit: USAO - North Carolina, Middle
September 27, 2018
MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a home improvement contractor from Smithtown was sentenced today to 45 days in jail, to be served on weekends and five years’ probation. As a result of this prosecution, the defendant also paid $50,000 that will be returned to the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery.
Credit: Nassau County DA
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Eighty-Four, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to defraud the United States, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer sentenced Donald R. Taylor, 78, to three years’ probation, a $30,000 fine, and 300 hours of community service.
Taylor previously pleaded guilty on October 30, 2017. In connection with his guilty plea, Taylor, the owner of Century Steel Erectors Co. (CSE), admitted that he conspired with Watson L. Maloy, Jr. to use Maloy’s company, W.M.C.C. Inc. (WMCC), as a "front" company to illegally obtain federally funded subcontracts on Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) bridge projects. As part of his guilty plea, Taylor further admitted that the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), through the Federal Highway Administration, required PennDOT and the PTC to implement USDOT’s disadvantage business enterprise (DBE) program, which was designed, among other things, to promote participation of minority-owned small businesses in federally funded projects. Because CSE was not a certified DBE subcontractor, Taylor and Maloy agreed that they would use WMCC as a means to obtain DBE-eligible bridge subcontracts. Contrary to DBE requirements, however, Taylor admitted that CSE employees, acting at his direction, actually identified, bid, negotiated, and performed the work on DBE-eligible subcontracts. As a means to conceal CSE’s role in handling contracts awarded to WMCC, Taylor admitted that CSE employees used a WMCC email account and phone line, used magnetic WMCC signs to cover the CSE logo on CSE vehicles at job sites, possessed WMCC business cards, and held themselves out as WMCC employees in dealings with general contractors and PennDOT and PTC officials. As a result, Taylor admitted that WMCC and CSE fraudulently obtained nine PennDOT subcontracts between approximately January 2012 and February 2014, resulting in payments to WMCC totaling approximately $1,065,000. In return, Taylor admitted that Maloy was paid a periodic "fee," ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 during the conspiracy.
credit: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western
March 28, 2018
A Bucks County contractor previously convicted of fraud and banned from performing home improvement work in Pennsylvania is facing new charges that he accepted more than $20,000 for work on a Doylestown Township home that was “subpar” or unfinished.
Steven Dunner, 40, of Bedminster, is awaiting a preliminary hearing next month before District Judge Mark Douple on six felony charges, including home improvement fraud, multiple counts of theft, and deceitful business practices. He was arrested March 1 and remains in Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $150,000 bail.
Credit: Courier Times Joe Cicvigalia
The hit man was a cop (with a video camera).
December 21, 2017
Many people have an exasperating tale about a construction contractor who didn’t get the job done. Shoddy work. Stopped showing up. Took the money and ran. But those don’t compare to the tale of Daniel W. Jamison, a contractor who had a string of fraud-related convictions when he was hired and paid by a Fairfax County, Va., man to do a $41,000 home remodeling job.
November 14, 2017
An Allegheny contractor is accused of taking money from customers but never finishing the work he was hired to do.
Target 11 found that contractor is facing a number of criminal charges of home improvement fraud and theft.
Rich Barone's home improvement contractor registration with the state expired in August. Since then, he's been charged with home improvement fraud in eight cases.
Cox Media Group
March 29, 2017
Darren Lee accused of taking money from customers, not completing work
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is accused of entering into construction contracts with customers and taking their money without doing jobs he agreed to do, or refunding them.
Darren Lee was arrested Monday on one count of organized fraud, four counts of grand theft and four counts of unlicensed contracting, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Police said complaints about Lee, 50, started pouring in between September and November.
Lee lied to his customers, telling them he was licensed and was employed by WCI, a company he didn't actually work for, investigators said.
He took between $4,000 and $12,000 down payments for work he never started, and even went as far as using the license number for the real WCI Construction to convince customers he was legitimate, according to investigators.
Credit: News4Jax
March 10, 2017
ORLANDO, Fla. — A 51-year-old man and his wife are accused of running an extensive fraud scheme targeting elderly victims who would pay thousands of dollars for unneeded home improvements, police said.
Michael Auxier was arrested Friday at a customer’s home in Sanford and is now facing several charges in connection with the alleged fraud.
According to investigators, Auxier would place ads in phone books as an electrical contractor.
When a customer called, his wife, Marie Avare, would act as a customer service agent and set up appointments with “Dave,” who ended up being Auxier, the Orlando Police Department said.
Auxier would visit clients and find fake electrical issues throughout the home, investigators said.
One of his alleged victims, Orlando resident Lillian Vargas, said she ended up paying $23,000 for services from Auxier that her home didn’t need.
“First, he checked the electric panel,” she said. “And that’s when he said, ‘This house has been hit by lightning.’”
Auxier, who is not a licensed electrician, told Vargas to call her insurance company about the damage, police said.
Credit: WFTV ABC 9
