The owner of a Baton Rouge construction company accused committing post-flood contractor fraud in Ascension Parish was back in jail in East Baton Rouge Parish for allegedly ripping off a 67-year-old woman in a storm repair deal back in 2014. <\/p>\n
Matthew Morris, who'd been released from jail in Ascension Parish on $635,000 bail on Feb. 10, was arrested at his home Tuesday morning by a team lead by State Police, said Sgt. L'Jean McKneely, a Baton Rouge police spokesman. <\/p>\n
Morris, the owner of Complete Construction Contractors, is accused of defrauding more than a dozen Ascension Parish flood victims and is also wanted in at least eight additional cases in Livingston and St. John the Baptist parishes. <\/p>\n
Morris maintained that he's \"100 percent innocent of the charges against me\" in a brief statement provided by his attorney after his release from Ascension jail earlier this month. <\/p>\n
As Baton Rouge detectives led him past reporters to a waiting car for the ride to Parish Prison Tuesday morning, he silently hung his head, ignoring shouted questions. <\/p>\n
The Baton Rouge arrest warrant alleges he defrauded a 67-year-old woman who paid him more than $100,000 to repair storm damage to her Chandler Drive home.Morris installed six windows, patched a hole in the woman's roof with black felt and never returned, the warrant says. <\/p>\n
The victim told police she hired an attorney to intervene but that he refused complete the work or honor the contract. <\/p>\n
Baton Rouge police booked Morris Tuesday morning on counts ofcounts of home improvement fraud, felony theft, theft of assets of an aged person and exploitation of the infirm. <\/p>\n
Morris remained there Tuesday evening, with his bail set at $100,000. <\/p>\n
Authorities in other jurisdictions continue to investigate complaints about Morris and his company, which Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley used a complicated contract to rack up thousands of dollars in claims assistance fees, grossly over-billed or billed people for work that had not been done, and collected residents insurance payments with inflated or fraudulent bills. <\/p>\n
Lori Steele, Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said deputies have obtained warrants for Morris in seven cases and are investigating more. <\/p>\n
\"That's just the beginning,\" Steele told The Advocate on Monday. <\/p>\n
The owner of a Baton Rouge construction company accused of committing post-flood contractor <\/p>\n
+2 <\/p>\n
A Baton Rouge builder accused of committing contractor fraud against Ascension Parish flood <\/p>\n
+2 <\/p>\n
Update: 3:25 p.m.: A state district judge set bail Thursday for a Baton Rouge man arrested <\/p>\n
Follow Bryn Stole on Twitter, @BrynStole. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See the rest here: <\/p>\n
Baton Rouge construction firm owner back in custody on fraud allegations - The Advocate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The owner of a Baton Rouge construction company accused committing post-flood contractor fraud in Ascension Parish was back in jail in East Baton Rouge Parish for allegedly ripping off a 67-year-old woman in a storm repair deal back in 2014. Matthew Morris, who'd been released from jail in Ascension Parish on $635,000 bail on Feb. 10, was arrested at his home Tuesday morning by a team lead by State Police, said Sgt. Continue reading