Home Improvement Fraud AllegedA Pierceton man was arrested over the weekend for alleged home improvement fraud after accepting a down payment a year ago for the installation of a seawall that was never done.
Christopher Eugene Staley, 41, of 8631 E. CR 250S, Pierceton, was arrested at 6:37 p.m. Saturday for level 6 felony home improvement fraud. His preliminary bond was set at $10,250.
On July 11, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jeff Clark spoke with a man who said that on Aug. 24 he had signed a contract with Staley, doing business as LexLii Contracting, for $10,000. Staley was to install a seawall at the man’s residence, according to court documents.
The man said he wrote a check for $3,000 as a down payment for the construction work. The check was cashed and deposited into a LexLii Contracting bank account on Aug. 25.
The work on the project was to begin at the end of September or first of October. The man said he contacted Staley multiple times with no success in getting the work done or the money returned.
As of July 19, Staley had not returned the money or completed any of the work, court documents state.
