by Keith Burton  6/3/08  GCN

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced Tuesday at his office in the Bolton State Office Building in Biloxi that he is now listing contractors arrested for contractor fraud on the official Attorney General website. 

Mississippians can go to http://www.ago.state.ms.us/  and find a list of contractors arrested for home repair fraud under the "alerts" and "consumer" links.  The list includes the name of the person arrested, the name of the company they were "doing business as" and a brief status report on the case. 

"The idea came to me while I was doing a live broadcast with Mississippi Public Radio," said Attorney General Jim Hood.  "I was talking to a caller from Jackson who made me realize there was a need for a quick reference guide in this area.  The information we have on the list is public record and people are entitled to it."  (GCN Photo right: Jim Hood)

The website list points out the status of each case. The vast majority of the cases indicate that their cases are pending before local prosecutors in the counties where the arrests were made. While some of the cases on the lists are marked "convicted," most are still awaiting prosecution.

In Harrison, Stone and Hancock counties, the prosecution is up to District Attorney Cono Caranna as most of the contractor fraud cases are considered felonies and not misdemeanors. Hood said he has no problem with making the list available, even for individuals who have not been convicted as the record of the arrests are public. It is up to local prosecutors to try the cases.

The list was recently updated to one new name:

-Albert Watson Tate, Jr.(age 52) of Pontotoc, MS, was arrested on May 28, 2008,  by the Pontotoc Police Department, assisted by investigators with the  Mississippi Attorney General's Office, Public Integrity and Alcohol and Tobacco enforcement division.  Tate was returned to Harrison County on May 29, 2008 to face a felony embezzlement charge.  He is accused of taking money from a Biloxi resident to make repairs to a hurricane Katrina damaged home, spending the money but never providing proof the money was spent properly.  At the time of his arrest, Tate was on probation for a 2007 Felony Home Repair Fraud conviction in Lee County Circuit Court.  His bond was set at $25,000 by Harrison County Justice Court Judge Albert Fountain. 

The arrest of Tate brings the number of contractors arrested by the Attorney General's Office for home repair fraud to 80.     

Hood tells GCN that the number of contractor fraud cases continues to grow and more arrests are expected. Hood said that his office generally received between four to five new cases a week. Almost a thousand consumer complaints have been received by his office and at the current time, nearly 300 cases are being reviewed. Hood said that nearly 65 percent of the complaints filed by people are resolved with mediation between the contractor, the home owner and the contractor. Only those cases that cannot be resolved then move to the arrest stage.

The website links are meant only as a supplemental resource for consumers.  "There are still crooked contractors operating who haven't been caught yet," said Attorney General Hood.  "That's why nothing will protect you better than following the basics: get your contract in writing, get references and be careful about paying any money up front." 

Other  tips can be found at www.agjimhood.com.   If you are suspicious, do not hire the worker, sign a contract or provide money.  Get as much information as possible and report your concerns to your local law enforcement agency or the Attorney General's Consumer Protection division at 601-359-4230.

More Information:

Direct Link to the Contractor Fraud List: http://www.ago.state.ms.us/index.php/alerts/home_repair_fraud_arrests/