CHARLESTON – West Virginia Attorney General announced that an Eastern Panhandle contractor is now heading to prison after an investigation conducted by his office and partners.
Frederick Tarmon Sr., owner of both Tarmon and Sons and Complete Handyman Service, received a 1- to 10-year prison sentence on Feb. 23.
The court ordered restitution at more than $36,000 and immediately took Tarmon into custody.
“Business owners must be held accountable for their actions,” Morrisey said. “Our office will always protect and defend consumers against dishonest business practices.”
Tarmon pleaded guilty in December to seven counts of obtaining money by false pretenses.
The charges against Tarmon stemmed from consumers hiring Tarmon, based in part upon advertisements he was licensed and insured, and paying thousands of dollars for projects and services that were never completed or poorly completed.
In December, Jefferson Circuit Judge Debra McLaughlin awarded civil judgment, including consumer restitution, to the state and ordered restitution as part of the criminal case.
An investigator with the Attorney General’s Office testified at the Feb. 23 hearing.
The original case was pursued by the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, which previously indicated the Attorney General’s Office investigation was a determining factor in bringing the criminal case.
The joint investigation was conducted by the Charles Town Police Department, West Virginia State Police and the state Division of Labor.
“The West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board and Division of Labor worked closely with all parties involved in this conviction,” said state Division of Labor Commissioner Mitch Woodrum. “We will continue to assist in other cases regarding unscrupulous persons taking advantage of consumers. The Division of Labor performing the enforcement for the contractor licensing board, along with the other programs within the Division’s purview, allows us to be more efficient and effective in identifying this type of activity and taking the necessary action.”
The Attorney General’s civil case, filed in April 2016, included allegations that the defendant entered into contracts and/or performed work for several Eastern Panhandle consumers without a valid contractor’s license and insurance, despite advertising to the contrary.
