It’s that time of year when homeowners and businesses have to take caution when hiring contractors to do anything to their property. Unfortunately, there are many out there that claim to be legitimate contractors for those hiring them to then find out something different after the fact.
In Southwest Idaho, a roofing contractor has been charged with fraud. In this case, the accusation states that the contractor defrauded federal programs that were designed to help veterans and businesses.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that Meridian man, Patrick J. Large, 62, is charged with scheming against a federal surplus property program. This has resulted in over a dozen counts of fraud for Large, which also includes making false statements and money laundering. Federal authorities say he was indicted in February by federal grand jury and the charges remained sealed until July. He made his first court appearance on July 31st.
A late September trial has been scheduled.
The indictment states that Large is accused of operating his schemes from 2003 until 2010.
If the federal government can be scammed by those wishing to put a little more money in their pockets, it is fair to say that consumers need to be even more cautious than ever, especially if a contractor comes to your door after a storm, telling you they will repair your roof or other damage to your home if you pay them a specific amount of money up front. Usually, they will take that initial payment and run.
