Attorney General's News Release

July 24, 2007

Overland man arrested on indictment charging him with defrauding area residents on fence construction services

Clayton, Mo. — An Overland man who operates a fence construction business was arrested Sunday (July 22) on a grand jury indictment that charges him with defrauding four St. Louis-area homeowners and one business owner. A St. Louis County grand jury returned the indictment against Daniel H. Cahill (DOB- 11/25/63) at the request of Attorney General Jay Nixon, whose office will prosecute the five felony charges against Cahill. The defendant operates a business called Best Built Fence.

The indictment charges that Cahill sold residential or commercial contracting services to the alleged victims over a period from June 2006 to January 2007 but did not complete - or in one instance, begin - the work. The indictment alleges he “willfully and knowing engaged in such misrepresentation with the intent to defraud.”

Cahill is charged with five counts of unlawful merchandising practices, a class D felony under Missouri law that is punishable upon conviction by up to four years and a $5,000 fine on each count. The charges against Cahill are merely accusations and, as in all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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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 Press Secretary John Fougere.

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