By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
On Thursday, Feb. 18, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the owner of a home repair company was facing criminal charges over allegedly defrauding customers out of thousands of dollars by failing to complete home repair projects that had been agreed upon.
Edmund Kavanaugh, 57, of the 600 block of Washington Street in Elmhurst, was charged in Cook County Circuit Court with one count of aggravated home repair fraud, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; 21 counts of home repair fraud, a Class 4 felony punishable by up to three years in prison; and six counts of theft, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He was arraigned and his bond was set at a total of $350,000. His next court date is scheduled for Thursday, March 25.
“Edmund Kavanaugh is a prolific scammer who has spent years adjusting and evolving his scams in order to continue defrauding victims out of thousands of dollars,” Raoul said. “Individuals who scam unsuspecting consumers have no place in our communities, and I am committed to continuing to hold accountable individuals who take advantage of consumers for personal gain.”
According to the Attorney General, Kavanaugh owns and operates a home repair business by the name of Goliath Construction. Raoul alleges that Kavanaugh’s various schemes involved him being hired for a home repair job and collecting payment but failing to complete the work. Kavanaugh also allegedly used alias names for himself and his business in order to procure home repair projects after details of his past scams became public. As he did when using his real name and business, Kavanaugh allegedly collected payments but did no work or only partial work while operating under these aliases.
Raoul’s office investigated this case in partnership with the Arlington Heights, Berkeley, Hoffman Estates, Niles, Tinley Park and Western Springs police departments.
Kavanaugh was most recently arrested and charged in Niles on Jan. 28 after a 34-year-old woman told police she had given Kavanaugh more than $3000 as a down payment on a fence and drain pipe repairs. The victim said that the little amount of work Kavanaugh did actually did damage to the basement of the home. At that time, he called his business Drain Landscaping.
Raoul’s Consumer Fraud Bureau has received numerous consumer complaints about Kavanaugh. In October 2018, the Illinois Attorney General’s office filed a civil lawsuit against Kavanaugh for defrauding customers out of thousands of dollars by selling defective appliances. In August 2018, the Attorney General’s office indicted Kavanaugh on charges of aggravated home repair fraud and theft against a separate group of victims. In 2006, the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Bureau entered into a consent decree with Kavanaugh that enjoined him from various home repair conduct.
The public is reminded that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Consumers who believe they have been the victim of fraud can file a complaint on the Attorney General’s website or by calling the Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-0618.
Assistant Attorney General Maryanne Mlikotic handled the cases for Raoul’s Criminal Enforcement Division.
