Contingency Plans Failed

Earlier this year, I attempted to seek justice for families in the Piedmont and surrounding areas of North Carolina. It was an attempt to bring restitution and justice to the many families who were scammed by a local dishonest contractor - the Mexican cartel leader I stood up to last fall.

All the contingency plans I had fell through because the preponderance of evidence included witnesses testimonies who knew the construction crew. However, their fear of testifying against the cartel kept them being a witness. They refused to cooperate. They feared retaliation to themselves, their livelihood and their families. It was easier to let go of the injustice when I was reminded that God handles situations like this in a different way. Perhaps it as protection for me.

There was only one thing left to do. Forgive the inequities of the cartel leader, his crew and witnesses who did not support the effort to help protect the citizens of NC. In the future, I hope that my efforts will be supported in the future to not only protect the community of Greensboro, NC, but to prevent fraud from occurring again.

Fraud Prevention

If residential family owners are considering remodeling, due diligence isn't enough. Pulling a background check, it isn't enough. You really have to see a contract for services up front, and perform a character and integrity check of the people you are doing business with.

Here are some red flags to look for:

• No official contract for services
• Multiple change orders with the contractor requiring more money upfront before work is completed.
• Coming to your home while high on drugs; having active drug addicts on the job.
• Criminals with active restraining orders, or that have aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon on their background checks.
• Sexual harassment
• Use of extortion
• The job extends itself 3-4x longer than anticipated, with overruns at up to 40%.

This list isn't all inclusive, but you need to consider the safety of your family members and your pets. Protect yourself and your assets. Prior to a remodel job take all financial and sensitive personal information out of the house and place in a storage unit, or safety deposit box in a secured location.

Although I was unable to protect the citizens, the situation and the loss of support was out of my control. The only thing I could control was my reaction to things not working out as planned. This particular storm lasted longer, because lessons needed to be learned.