FORT WORTH, Texas — A Tarrant County contractor was sentenced to 47 years in prison for scamming homeowners out of more than $58,000 for remodeling work he never completed, Tarrant County officials said.
Chad Alan Cappiello, known as Chad Russell, operated under the business name “Extreme Remodeling.” The 48-year-old agreed to complete home improvement projects but never started or finished the work.
Many of his victims were elderly, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney's office.
“This was a money grab,” prosecutor Nathan Martin said in a statement. “He didn’t earn a thing. He stole it.”
Cappiello ran similar scams in Jasper, Bell and Hopkins counties and has a prior conviction in Hopkins County for stealing money from elderly homeowners.
Officials said Cappiello continued to take money from homeowners for work he could never complete because he was in jail in Hopkins County,
Delia Snider of Tyler said Cappiello stole over $21,000 after contracting to make handicap improvements in her home to accommodate her elderly parents. Like many other cases, no work was ever done in the residence.
Cappiello was found guilty of property theft against the elderly, theft of property and misappropriation of fiduciary funds against the elderly.
He was also ordered to pay $30,000 in fines.
“It was up to Tarrant County citizens to stop this man from moving on to the next town with a Cheshire cat grin on his face and his pocket filled with other people’s money,” said lead prosecutor John Newbern in a statement.
