Kaufman County Couple Sentenced To Federal Prison For Defrauding Homeowners
SHERMAN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A Kaufman County man and his girlfriend have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to charges related to a scheme that defrauded homeowners, many of whom were elderly, out of thousands of dollars.
According to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Brit Featherston, Tommy Ray Williams, 44, of Terrell pleaded guilty on August 10, 2021 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Whitney Jane Law, 33, of Point pleaded guilty to a misprision of felony for her role in the scheme. Judge Amos Mazzant sentenced Williams to 180 months in prison on Mar. 23 and Law to 18 months in prison on Mar. 24.
Williams and Law were also ordered to pay $820,900.00 in restitution to their victims, several of whom are elderly.
"The elderly are often the target of fraud and contractor fraud is a common avenue to take advantage of our greatest generation," said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. "This is where old fashioned values come into play, watching out for our neighbors who, just maybe, are being taken advantage of. Before hiring someone to do work around your home, check out their business reputation. The FBI and United States Attorney's Office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those unethical and immoral persons that have the audacity, through fraud schemes, to take advantage of vulnerable victims, residents of our community, and the elderly."
"The defendants are scammers that took more than money, they stole their victim's sense of home. Their schemes demanded payment, destroyed property and left behind worry and regret," said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. "We are confident that this investigation had a significant impact for our community, and we will continue to work with our partners to seek justice for victims of fraud."
According to court documents, Williams was involved in a conspiracy in which he and others would receive remodel referrals from a third-party company and contact the homeowner, arranging a site inspection. Williams, alone or with others, would travel to the residence, discuss the work required, and provide a bid for those services.
Williams would require a large amount of money before the work began and often would require more funds immediately after the work began, blaming this on costs such as materials that had to be purchased. Williams would require that the homeowners write out checks payable to him, an associate, or to one of the business entities that they used.
After the homeowner made their initial payments, individuals would appear at the house and begin demolition work, often destroying key parts of the home such as plumbing, flooring, sheetrock, walls, and roofing, and would sometimes begin installation or construction work.
Soon after the work began, however, the work crews would stop coming to the residence and the renovation work would be left undone. The homeowners would try to contact Williams, who would sometimes respond but eventually stopped responding and did not return their funds.
Over the course of the scheme, more than 15 homeowners and a credit card processing company were defrauded of over $800,000. Law was charged in an information with misprision of a felony. The information alleges that she had actual knowledge of a commission of the felony, failed to notify authorities, and took at least one step to conceal the crime.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps.
Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis.
Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 10am-6pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
This case was investigated by the FBI Dallas, Frisco Resident Agency and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
