SUDBURY – The owner of a Sudbury home improvement business is facing more fraud charges for allegedly collecting money on work never completed.
David Murray, the man who owns Eco-Life Home Improvements, was charged with 23 counts of fraud back in May.
Now, police in Sudbury say Murray was arrested again on Oct. 31 and has received an additional 22 fraud charges. 14 of those were for amounts over $5,000 and eight under $5,000.
Murray now faces 45 charges in total.
This is in connection with a series of complaints over the last year about deposits paid for renovation work that was not completed.
Murray was released from custody on a promise to appear and is scheduled to have a first appearance in court Dec. 11.
Police advise homeowners to ensure to research contractors prior to signing a contract or providing a down payment. They say you can easily search a business or individual's name using your computer's search engine. Another way is to check the company's social media profile.
Before paying money for home renovation products or services, police say you should:
- Know your rights
- Research the company
- Verify applicable licencing
- Ask for identification and references
- Get everything agreed upon in writing
- End the interaction if you feel at all uncomfortable
The police investigation on the complaints related to this case coincided with an investigation by the Consumer Protection Bureau.
