Houston Man Pleads Guilty to Contractor Fraud in Louisiana

After listening to three witnesses at the start of his trial, a Houston man decided to plead guilty to scamming seven Slidell, La.-area residents out of more than $140,000.

Jose “Angel” Farias confessed to scamming his victims through contractor fraud schemes after Hurricane Katrina.

Prosecutors say the 47-year-old defendant at times didn’t complete any of the contracted work, and at other times he completed some. Farias was arrest on May 25, 2006.

Slidell police say one homeowner paid $31,000 for a set of amateurish blueprints and to have two limbs cut from a storm-damaged tree.

State Judge Martin Coady accepted Farias’ plea and then sentenced him to 10 years in prison for the seven counts of theft over $500.

Information from: The Times-Picayune, www.nola.com