Brothers Convicted Of Defrauding Home Repair Customers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago federal court jury has convicted two brothers in a home repair fraud scheme that targeted elderly residents on Chicago's South and West sides.
As WBBM Newsradio's David Roe reports, six of the victims took the stand during the trial of John and Daniel Sullivan, and testified that the brothers swindled them out of tens of thousands of dollars.
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The victims said the Sullivans promised to perform expensive home repairs, and convinced them to refinance their homes to pay for the repairs, and then they failed to make the repairs.
The Sullivans had owned several home repair and modeling businesses, including New Look Home Services, J & D Home Services, A-Z Home Services, and Contract Services, which were based in Chicago and Niles.
In 2004, the City of Chicago won a permanent injunction against New Look Home Services and John Sullivan, which forbad them from doing business within the city limits.
John Sullivan, 49, of Surprise, Ariz., and formerly of Northbrook, and Daniel Sullivan, 45, of Niles, were convicted of two counts of wire fraud each after the two-week trial. They face up to 20 years in prison and the forfeiture of $1.2 million in proceeds from the scheme, as well as mandatory restitution and a fine of $250,000 each.
U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning has scheduled sentencing for noon on Jan. 26, 2012.
Another co-defendant, Patrick R. Rooney, 53, of Northbrook, an employee of J&D, is being tried separately.
