Contractor ordered to pay back defrauded clients

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley obtained a $643,704 judgment against contractor Timothy Mundy for defrauding clients in Springfield, Branson and other cities statewide.

Hawley’s office claims Mundy, of Clinton, asked for large, upfront payments from customers who entered home construction service contracts with him. He then used those payments on personal expenses, according to a news release. Greene County Circuit Court ordered Mundy to pay back $194,012 to consumers, pay $332,000 in penalties and punitive damages, and cover all expenses relating to investigating and prosecuting the case. He’s also been barred from doing business in the construction industry, according to the release.

Mundy also was accused of asking homeowners for more money when the upfront payments were spent, saying the project ran into unforeseen circumstances. When customers demanded work be completed, he would abandon the project and move on to others, officials with Hawley’s office say. When he did do work on projects, it was substandard and had to be redone later, according to the release.

Intentionally targeting the elderly, legal immigrants or those experiencing hardships, Mundy created new LLCs and aliases to hide his former actions, according to Hawley’s office.

“My office will aggressively pursue deceitful and dishonest contractors who cheat consumers and destroy their assets," Hawley said in the release. “There is no place for those who prey upon consumers in Missouri.”