West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey announced the Putnam County Circuit Court has issued final orders against four members of the same family for violations of the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act, ordering them to pay more than $300,000 in restitution and penalties.
The defendants – Gary May, Wilbur Scott May, Tyler May and Joshua May of Spencer – performed work throughout central and southern West Virginia as part of their mobile home business. The Attorney General’s Office received more than 15 consumer complaints reporting a wide range of unlawful activities by the family, including deceptive sales practices, sale of homes not fit for occupancy, faulty and unsafe installation of mobile homes, failure to make promised repairs and renovations, failure to return deposits and failure to provide consumers with titles to their homes. The business was also not incorporated, nor did it have the licenses required to sell or move mobile homes.
The court ordered Gary May to pay $244,200 in restitution to the victims. Tyler May was ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution to victims and $32,000 in civil penalties.
“Being taken advantage of while trying to establish a home for yourself or your family is reprehensible,” Attorney General McCuskey said. “These consumers turned to us to protect them from this business and I’m hopeful this order will finally start to make them whole – and will be a message to other bad businesses, that you will be held accountable.”
The court also barred the defendants, and anyone acting on their behalf, from violating the Act related to the selling, moving, delivering and set-up, and repair of mobile homes.
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division opened an investigation after identifying numerous unresolved complaints. Those complaints were sent to the Manufactured Housing Board who then issued nine cease and desist orders, but the business “continued to engage in unlawful activities,” prompting the lawsuit.
Original source can be found here.