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Gene Kennedy ReportingHe says he's a Heber city businessman but the Utah of Department of Commerce says he's a fraud. Today, the alleged scammer went to court. Tonight, some of the victims are speaking out.
The Department of Commerce says he's guilty of an age-old scam --get all the money from the customer up front but don't do the job. There's a long list of victims going back two years.
It was October 2005. Fire destroyed the Quintana's West Valley City home. A friend told them to hire a home builder named Jack Daggs. The Quintanas got money from their insurance company, and after the mortgage company cleared Daggs' so-called credentials, the Quintanas paid him a $50,000 down payment. They say Daggs demolished their charred home but never rebuilt it.
Joe Quintana said, "When Jack did this to us, I could see the house fly away because I knew we couldn't rebuild."
Wasatch County investigators told the Quintanas they had been duped and so had 11 other families.
Priscilla Quintana says, "It took me like a week to force myself out of bed."
The courts charged Daggs with 10 felony counts of fraud and racketeering.
Tara Meyer, another victim, says, "He continues to get off. They told us when he went to jail he wouldn't get out."
But he did and allegedly scammed Tara Meyer and her husband. In our Classified Ads section, Daggs allegedly told the Meyers he'd build them a trailer to haul their 4-wheelers. The Meyers paid upfront but never got their trailer.
Francine Giani, Exec. Dir., Utah Dept. of Commerce, says, "Last year's was about almost $250,000 in victim losses. This year we have 15 victims so far, and that number is going up."
Daggs has been well known to state consumer protection investigators for more than a decade. He'll go to trial in a month. In all, he faces 19 felony counts of fraud and racketeering.
"Last year's was almost $250,000 in victim losses. This year we have 15 victims so far, and that number is going up," Giani said.
Meantime, the Meyer's bought a trailer for their 4-wheelers. No one expects their money back but there is satisfaction in speaking out.
Priscilla Quintana says, "I don't want anyone else hurt by him, that's the main thing."
Even today, Jack Daggs had classified ads running on KSL's Web site. They have since been removed.
