South Carolina couple faces charges of criminal conspiracy

On Behalf of | Apr 8, 2015 | White Collar Crimes |

On March 31, a Charlotte couple accused of cheating homeowners out of $660,000 was arrested on seven charges, including criminal conspiracy and breach of trust. The husband and wife allegedly kept funds given to them for home building projects instead of providing this money to subcontractors. Many of the homes were not completed or were left incomplete.

Three families had taken the couple to civil court and won damages, but they weren’t able to recover the money they had given the couple through its building company because the husband and wife filed for bankruptcy in 2014. The three families allegedly gave the couple $189,000, $239,000 and $233,000 to build them homes. They had used retirement savings, credit cards and other methods to pay for their homes. The families claimed subcontractors informed them that they hadn’t been paid.

The husband and wife homebuilders turned themselves in at a local sheriff’s office following an ongoing investigation over multiple months. The judge released the couple on their own recognizance because they had no previous criminal record and were not considered “flight risks.” The couple’s family had been operating their business for several decades and had a good reputation in the community.

Under the law, criminal conspiracy is defined as an agreement between two or more people with the intent to commit a criminal act, and breach of contract has to do with breaking a contract by not adhering to the agreement. Allegations of criminal conspiracy can be difficult to fight in court when multiple charges are involved. An attorney with experience in white collar crime may be able to use legal contracts and documents to show that clients adhered to the stipulations of an agreement, and others they worked with didn’t fulfill their part of the contracts.

Source The Herald, “Homebuilders Accused of Bilking More than $660,000 from York County Buyers,” Andrew Dys, March 31, 2015

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