Attorney General's News Release

August 11, 2009

Attorney General Koster files criminal charges against Taney County woman

--Attorney General charges her with 12 counts related to defrauding modular and mobile home sellers, buyers--

Jefferson City, Mo. - Attorney General Chris Koster has charged Edna Kay Jackson of Kirbyville with 12 felony counts for allegedly deceiving people who did business with her to buy or sell mobile or modular homes.

The charges, filed in Greene County, accuse Jackson, doing business as Dogwood Homes, of taking money for the purchase of homes and not delivering either the homes or the clear titles to homes to the customers. Jackson is also charged with brokering homes for individuals and not giving them or their bank the money from the sale.

"Kay Jackson is charged with defrauding people of tens of thousands of their hard-earned dollars," Koster said. "The Attorney General's Office is committed to protecting consumers in the home-buying process through rigorous enforcement of the state's consumer-protection laws."

Jackson is charged with the Class D felony of Unlawful Merchandising Practices, which carries a maximum sentence of up to four years imprisonment per count and a fine of up to $5,000 per count.

The charges against the defendant are merely accusations and, as in all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until or unless proved guilty in a court of law.