RICHMOND, Va. -- A Virginia man made an appearance in a Richmond court Tuesday as he faces charges of wire fraud, filing a false tax return, tax evasion, and making false statements to a financial institution.
The defendant, 41-year-old Howard Lee Stith Jr., allegedly conducted a scheme to defraud elderly homeowners out of money.
Stith would claim that the homeowners needed extensive repairs on their roofs, and he would later provide a price that the homeowners would agree to.
After Stith promised to provide the services, he performed small, poor-quality work and simultaneously charged the homeowners exorbitant fees.
Allegedly, the defendant returned to the same client's homes repeatedly, showing up without notice and claiming their roofs needed more repair work.
Stith created false invoices and receipts that he used to falsely justify the fees he charged the homeowners. From 2015 through 2023, Stith is believed to have obtained at least $1.5 million through his scheme.
Stith also failed to report to the IRS the income he generated from the scheme, by failing to file tax returns from 2019 to 2021, as well as filing a false tax return in 2018.
Additionally, the defendant used the money from his scheme to make payments on high-end vehicles.
Finally, Stith applied for a number of loans after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, where he obtained at least $112,000 in funds that he allegedly was not entitled to.
Stith also applied for and received at least $13,000 in unemployment insurance benefits after he claimed he was unemployed and not receiving money from any source.
If convicted of the charges, Stith will face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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