NC Attorney General seeks to ban Cary contractor from working in the state, get restitution
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- There are new details into an ABC11 Troubleshooter investigation involving an unlicensed contractor turned convicted felon, and then back on the job again.
The North Carolina Attorney General's office is now taking action to try and stop Roger Dale Simmons from doing work here in North Carolina.
NC Attorney General Josh Stein's office sued Simmons for allegedly running a contracting fraud scheme targeting Triangle-area homeowners. The office is seeking to ban Simmons from operating here in the state.
"We're going pursue this as long as it takes, and we hopefully, we'll get money back for people," NC Attorney General Stein said. "But we definitely want a permanent injunction that says he cannot do this anymore in the future, so that if he violates that he will be in contempt of court, and subject to the full penalties of the judge."
Stein's office is also seeking restitution for the ten customers who filed complaints, but now have more than $136,000 in losses and unfinished work.
Since 2018, Troubleshooter Diane Wilson investigated Simmons for leaving multiple homeowners throughout Wake and Durham counties out thousands of dollars after he signed remodeling contracts, but either Simmons didn't finish it or he left them with shoddy work.
After our stories, Simmons was convicted of several counts of obtaining property under false pretenses and did serve jail time. Once he got out of jail, Simmons started another business called Deck Ace Handyman Services.
Homeowners in Apex and Cary reached out to Troubleshooter Diane Wilson after paying Simmons thousands of dollars for jobs, yet he stopped showing up. In some cases, inspectors issued a stop work notice due to the jobs not properly permitted and work done wrong.
Apex Police did file warrants against Simmons for cases in their jurisdiction, but the latest court records show those warrants have not been served yet.
Now that Stein's office filed this complaint with the courts, they're hopeful a hearing for the temporary injection will happen within a few days.
This case is a reminder that it's so important to do your research when it comes to hiring contractors, especially if the work is more than 30 grand, you need to make sure they are licensed with the state to do that work. Simmons is not licensed.
SEE ALSO: 'This is nuts!' NC woman scammed out of more than $1,000 during offer to save money
