Contractor couple pleads guilty in fraudulent home improvement scheme

A Wisconsin couple pleaded guilty to a contractor fraud scheme that spanned the state.

Tyler Hansen, 52, of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges related to the scam, while Tyler’s wife, Jennifer Hansen, 43, also entered a guilty plea for money laundering connected to her involvement in the same enterprise, the Department of Justice said in a press release. 

Tyler Hansen’s fraudulent activities occurred between October 2020 and September 2022, when he operated a home improvement business under various names, including Weathersealed Wisconsin and EcoView Windows of South-Central Wisconsin.

He engaged in a wire fraud scheme by entering into contracts with customers for home improvement projects like windows, sunrooms, bathroom remodels, roofs, and doors. Upon signing these contracts, customers were required to make a 50 percent down payment, which Tyler Hansen falsely claimed would be used to purchase building materials. Instead, he diverted the funds for personal expenses, police said.

Both Tyler and Jennifer Hansen participated in a money laundering conspiracy to conceal the down payments, the DOJ said. 

They used multiple business and personal bank accounts, including those at Fort Community Credit Union, to deposit customer down payment checks. They then transferred the funds to personal accounts, making it difficult for clients to receive refunds and disguising the true nature of the money.

For the wire fraud charge, Tyler Hansen faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the same maximum penalty applies to the money laundering charge. Sentencing hearings have been scheduled for Dec. 19 for Tyler Hansen and Dec. 13 for Jennifer Hansen.

Brazen real estate-related fraud pleas aren’t limited to Wisconsin as of late.

Late last month, Robert Kennedy, a former Boston-area police officer, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding one of those landlords by providing false information during the tenant screening process and intentionally withholding rent payments, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

During the rental application process, Kennedy provided the landlord with the date of birth and social security number of a relative who shared his first and last name, concealing Kennedy’s sketchy credit history of collections, delinquent payments, defaults and evictions.

The landlord, based on the false information Kennedy provided, approved the application and allowed Kennedy to move in.

In addition to his first month’s rent and security deposit checks bouncing, Kennedy immediately began withholding rent payments, even though he made between $141,000 and $187,000 a year as a detective sergeant with the Stoneham Police Department. Kennedy lived in that apartment for four months, rent-free, by taking advantage of the slow eviction process, the release said.