PIERRE, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a Huron contractor has been sentenced for defrauding seven different individuals out of more than $36,000 for work not done.
Julio Morales-Ortiz, 34, was sentenced Tuesday in Beadle County Circuit Court after earlier pleading guilty to one count of Theft by Deception. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, all suspended; three years of probation, ordered to repay $36,450, and will serve 15 days in the county jail.
Morales-Ortiz, who operated a roofing and painting business, had contracted to do construction work for various customers. They paid for his services, but the work was not done. The crimes occurred between 2021 and 2023.
“When fraudulent contractors and businesses steal from those who hire them, they violate the trust of those who paid them,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This defendant took money that was given to him in good faith, and then never delivered on the work.”
The Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division and the Huron Police Department investigated the case. The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted.
People who have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/. For more Government stories from MitchellNow.com, Click Here.