A Warsaw man was arrested Wednesday on multiple home improvement fraud and check deception charges from different cases totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Christopher Michael Lusso, 40, of 49 EMS B61F Lane, Warsaw, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 12:56 p.m. Wednesday on two counts of home improvement fraud, A misdemeanors; home improvement fraud, a level 5 felony; three counts of check fraud - $750 to $50,000; two counts of failure to appear – original charge felony; and on three warrants in civil matters. His preliminary bond was set at $59,975.

On March 22, a man reported a home improvement fraud to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department. He said that in December 2016, he hired Lusso to remodel a kitchen and bathroom and replace flooring in a mud room at his Leesburg residence. In January 2017, Lusso began completing the remodeling process at the Leesburg home and Lusso told the man the repairs would take about three weeks.

Shortly after the remodeling process began, Lusso advised there was a plumbing issue with the bathroom portion of the residence and asked the man and his wife to vacate the residence so he could correct the problem. From February to August 2017, the residence sat idle and minimal repairs were being made. In August 2017, the couple lost their temporary housing and were forced to move back into their Leesburg residence, according to court documents.

Upon moving back into the home, the man discovered mold growing inside it, along with a major portion of the home disassembled. The man said he has contacted Lusso multiple times to either have the construction completed or be refunded for the incomplete work. Each time, Lusso made excuses why the construction has not been completed, court documents state.

Checks issued to Lusso were for $800, $3,869, $5,200 and $4,500. Lusso also received cash payments for $500, $400 and $100.

In another case, on Dec. 7, a woman reported she was a victim of home improvement fraud. She said that on or about Nov. 4, she hired Lusso, owner of Clearwater Carpentry Unlimited LLC, to repair her yard and flooded basement and make other repairs. She said she knew Lusso for some time, so it was a verbal repair agreement and no contract had been signed.

The woman said she gave Lusso her credit card number and expiration date so Lusso could order dirt and material for the repairs. Lusso quoted the woman $500 for dirt to fix her yard and another $3,000 to repair her flooded basement and other issues at her home. She also agreed to the estimated amount of $3,500 for the repairs.

Receipts on Nov. 5 show Lusso charged the woman’s credit card for $523 for the dirt. On Nov. 6, he charged the card for $1,900, then about 40 minutes later he charged $1,300 on it.

The woman said she received a fraud alert on her credit card asking if she attempted a charge of $1,285.96. She told her credit card company the charge was authorized. A few minutes later, Lusso charged another $1,300 on the card.

On Nov. 7, Lusso charged the card another $1,300.

When the woman discovered Lusso had charged her card for a second $1,300, she questioned Lusso, who told her that he tried to reverse the original $1,300 charge.

The woman said she extended Lusso’s deadline several times from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, 2018, then March 1 until March 11 for the work to be completed at her residence. Court documents state that the woman said she prepaid Lusso $3,500 to repair her home and all she got was excuses and no results. She said only about 25 percent of the work on her property had been completed and she requested restitution from Lusso.

On March 12, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Kosciusko County Courts, the same woman, representing a marina, went to the prosecutor’s office and reported Lusso, doing business as Clearwater Carpentry, paid for service work performed and parts by the marina.

On July 19, 2017, Lusso wrote the marina a check for $2,947.50, but it was returned July 25 as the account had been closed.

The marina contacted Lusso and told him the check he wrote was on a closed account. Lusso wrote another check from another credit union on Aug. 17 for $2,982.50 to the marina. That check was returned for insufficient funds.

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On March 15, 2018, the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office notified Lusso of the two checks not being honored by his banks and the checks being returned. He never responded to arrange for payment of those checks, according to court documents.

In another check fraud case against Lusso, on March 12 a woman went to the prosecutor’s office and reported Lusso wrote her two checks for money that he borrowed from her and the checks were returned nonsufficient funds.

On June 2, 2017, Lusso wrote the woman a check for $500, which was returned June 12 .

On Oct. 20, 2017, Lusso wrote a check for $1,000 to her, which returned Nov. 1, 2017.

On March 15, the prosecutor’s office notified Lusso of the checks not being honored by his banks and the checks being returned. He never responded to arrange for payment of those checks, court documents filed April 11 state.

In another home improvement fraud case, on Dec. 7, 2017, a third woman reported to KCSD deputy Christopher Anderson that she entered into a home improvement contract with Lusso, doing business as Clearwater Carpentry, on Aug. 10, for an estimated $20,000. The contract called for installation of a mobile home that was to be properly connected to electric, plumbing and septic system.

On Aug. 10, she gave Lusso a check for $10,000. She said he came to the residence and started digging holes, but continued asking for money and did not finish the work. She wrote Lusso a check for $5,000 on Aug. 14, a check for $400 on Sept. 23, a check for $10,000 on Oct. 10 and a check for $2,500 on Oct. 16.

The woman said Lusso wrote her a check for $2,500, but the bank would not cash it.

Court documents filed Feb. 15 state Lusso made no attempt to complete the work, the septic was never done and the mobile home was never placed. Lusso also never paid the money back to the woman for work not completed.

In a fourth home improvement fraud case, on Dec. 7 KCSD deputy Matthew Holderman spoke with a woman who said she signed a contract with Lusso. She wired $3,500 from her bank to Lusso — half of the $7,000 contract.

On Jan. 17, the woman told Sam Whitaker of the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office that she met with Lusso on Sept. 15 at her residence. The contract she had with Lusso was for him to install new roof, soffit and fascia boards, and remove all rotten wood, and the project would start within seven days of delivery of the material.

The project was to be completed within two weeks for a total of $7,000.

On Sept. 16, Lusso returned with the contract and the contract was signed. On Sept. 18, the woman wired the $3,500 payment to Lusso’s bank. As of Jan. 17, Lusso had not performed the work or had any supplies delivered.

For one of the check deception charges, a woman said that on or about Feb. 9, Lusso unlawfully issued and delivered to a towing company a check for $100 knowing that it would not be paid or honored by the credit union.