Attorney General's News Release

October 20, 2006

Florissant home repair contractor pleads guilty to charges he took payment for work he didn't complete

Clayton, Mo. — A home repair contractor from Florissant pleaded guilty today to criminal charges that he took thousands of dollars in payment from St. Louis-area homeowners but didn't complete the work. Jason M. Leavy (DOB - 5/21/74) entered the guilty plea in St. Louis County Circuit Court to eight counts of unlawful merchandising practices being prosecuted by Attorney General Jay Nixon. Leavy was indicted on the charges in June by a county grand jury, which returned the indictment at Nixon's request.

Leavy is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15, after a pre-sentence investigation by the Missouri Department of Corrections. He faces a maximum of four years and a $5,000 fine on each count.

Nixon said Leavy also signed a consent agreement today, stating that he owes $97,990 in total restitution to 27 victims in St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Illinois. Leavy did business under the names Midwest Roofing & Contracting, CRS, CRSI and Merit Construction. The allegations covered a time period from January 2004 to April 2006.

Consumers who believe they have been victims of home repair fraud may file a complaint by going to the Attorney General's Web site at www.ago.mo.gov or by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to the Press Secretary.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818