Brothers sentenced for defrauding elderly homeowners in nationwide scam
Brothers sentenced for elderly home repair scam
Two brothers targeted the elderly, conning half-a-million dollars from a Shoreline homeowner before being caught.
SHORELINE, Wash. - Two brothers from Ireland, Patrick and Matthew McDonagh, have been sentenced to 18 months in prison for their involvement in a large-scale wire fraud scheme that targeted elderly homeowners across multiple countries, including the United States, Ireland, Australia, and Canada.
The McDonaghs, who operated as fraudulent contractors, were convicted of scamming vulnerable individuals out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their primary victims were elderly homeowners whom they convinced to pay for unnecessary and inflated home repairs.
"This sentence of 18 months sends a message that these are serious crimes and they deserve serious punishments, including time in prison," said Lauren Watts Stanair, Assistant U.S. Attorney. "This conduct will not be tolerated, particularly against our elderly community members."
Federal authorities revealed that the McDonaghs would visit neighborhoods, claiming to be working on nearby homes. They often used deceptive tactics, such as telling homeowners they had leftover materials from their neighbors' jobs or that there were urgent issues with the victim’s property, such as holes in the roof or foundation cracks.
"They would arrive in a community, knock on doors, and peddle this initial lie that they’re doing work in the neighborhood," Watts Stanair explained. "If the victim doesn't question the exorbitant cost of that work, then the foothold grows, and that's when we get to the foundation work, which was the core of the fraud in this case."
The McDonaghs' scam targeted an 80-year-old Shoreline homeowner who was convinced to pay $415,000 for unnecessary repairs to his roof. The scheme escalated when the brothers began digging a trench in the victim's yard, further pressuring him to hand over more money. In total, the brothers defrauded the victim of more than $435,000. Other victims across the U.S. reported losses ranging from $500,000 to $600,000.
Rebecca, the victim’s daughter, discovered the scheme after her father disclosed how much he paid the duo for the repairs.
"I lost it," she recalled, explaining that when she intervened, her father revealed he had given the brothers nearly half a million dollars for home repairs. "I don’t know how much they would have continued to extort him for."
The Shoreline Police Department played a crucial role in investigating the scam, which led to the McDonaghs' arrest. Federal authorities also found that the brothers were using a popular contractor app to siphon off business from legitimate companies, further expanding their fraudulent operation.
"These types of scams are unfortunately targeting the elderly all too often," said FBI Special Agent Ethan Via, who led the investigation. "From what we’ve learned, there are many people across the country doing the same kind of scam."
Authorities continue to investigate whether others were involved in the network, and additional cases are being reported regularly. While the McDonaghs have been sentenced, they have yet to repay the money they owe to their victims. In fact, the brothers have claimed that they did not keep the large sums of money but instead funneled them to other parties.
"We just have to take them at their word," said Via. "It’s hard to prove a negative in situations like this."
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Rebecca remains skeptical about receiving any restitution, especially since the brothers will soon be extradited back to Ireland after serving their sentences.
"We’re not holding our breath for any restitution," she said. "It’s going to be slim to none that anybody is actually watching them once they are back in Ireland."
Despite the difficulties, Rebecca is grateful that some of the stolen funds were recovered.
"Thanks to local police, this victim is walking away with some of the money he was defrauded of," said Via.
Authorities are advising homeowners to be vigilant, especially when approached by door-to-door contractors.
"If you need some work done, do some research, get multiple bids, and don’t just accept someone coming to your door and pressuring you," Via said. "Make sure to get any kind of business information and always verify it independently."
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