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Grand jury indicts Norwood roofer on charges of scamming dozens of homeowners

Company was focus of I-Team investigation
Posted at 5:28 PM, Oct 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-19 17:30:09-04

CINCINNATI -- A Hamilton County grand jury indicted a Norwood roofer on charges that he scammed dozens of consumers.

David Nelson, 36, of Norwood, was the focus of a WCPO I-Team investigation last year after several Greater Cincinnati residents complained that his company took payments from them but never performed the promised services.

The grand jury indicted Nelson on 30 counts, including 24 charges of theft, five charges of insurance fraud and one charge of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Wednesday.

 

Nelson would contact consumers at their homes and claim they roofs were damaged, according to DeWine. He would urge the homeowners to file insurance claims and he would take the money from them, but failed to do the work.

Additionally, Nelson is accused of damaging consumers' roofs to create the appearance of storm damage and providing false insurance claim information, according to DeWine.

Investigators found Nelson swindled 23 homeowners across Greater Cincinnati for about $113,000 in 2014 and '15, according to DeWine.

"When Ohioans are defrauded, we do everything we can to hold the scam artists accountable," DeWine said. "We believe it's important to prosecute these cases to protect Ohio consumers."

DeWine's office also filed a lawsuit against Nelson and his company, American Property Claim Specialists LLC, earlier this year. At the time, officials said they were aware of 13 unresolved complaints against the company for losses of about $52,000.

That lawsuit accused Nelson and his company of violating the state Consumer Sales Practices Act and Home Solicitation Sales Act. The suit, which is still ongoing, is seeking reimbursement for the victims and an injunction to stop any violations of the law, as well as civil penalties.