A roofing contractor and a man claiming to be a contractor are facing charges after allegedly scamming homeowners out of hundreds of dollars.
According to a release from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, James M. Twaddle, 48, of Columbus, Ohio, has been charged with stealing more than $60,000 from Kentuckians in a roofing scam.
The attorney general’s investigation found that, while doing business as Restore-It USA, Twaddle entered into roof replacement contracts with 16 Jefferson County victims over a four-month period in 2012. After receiving funds from the victims, neither Twaddle nor his company performed the promised work and, instead, Twaddle diverted the money for his own use. Twaddle admitted to the charges in November and pled guilty to 11 counts of theft by deception over $500.
“Scammers who take advantage of trusting consumers will be held accountable by our office,” said Cameron. “I am thankful to Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine for the work of his team in prosecuting this case and to our investigators within the Office of Consumer Protection for their thorough work to investigate this matter on behalf of Kentuckians.”
Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Barry Willet sentenced Twaddle to five years for each of the 11 counts. Willet also ordered him to pay restitution to the victims, totaling $61,298.98. The sentences will run concurrently and are probated for five years, or until restitution is paid in full.
“Our office works hard to prosecute scammers who steal from hardworking Kentuckians,” said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jeffrey Cooke. “I am pleased that together with the help of the investigators from the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection we were able to secure a conviction against this defendant and obtain an order requiring that he reimburse victims for their financial loss.”
Florida Police Arrest Fake Roofing Contractor
In Florida, the Broward Sheriff’s Office caught up with a man who posed as a roofing contractor to scam victims. The Tamarac Talk reports that detectives with the sheriff's office were on the lookout for Sammy Becho, 41, who in December 2019 scammed a homeowner out of $500 after posing as a contractor with A1 Roofing and Waterproofing.
Becho was apparently contracted to do repairs to the home, but there was no written contract drawn up between he and the victim. Instead, the homeowner told police Becho damaged his home, including leaving holes in his roof. The estimated damages totaled $3,000 to $5,000.
According to the Tamarac Talk, Becho was impersonating a business and using a license number belonging to a real company in Sarasota, but the name of a company from Davie. Both companies confirmed they didn't have a worker by that name and that Becho was using their information without authorization, including having an A1 Roofing and Waterproofing sticker on his truck.
In its latest update, the Tamarac Talk reported the sheriff's office arrested Becho on Nov. 16. He is being charged with grand theft and falsely identifying himself as a contractor.
The Tamarac Talk reports that in 2018, Becho was arrested on similar charges — grand theft, falsely identifying himself as a contractor and exploitation of an older adult.
