Phony contractor gets two years in prison
And when he gets out,
He's barred from making any of that money as a contractor, the judge ordered.
"These were crimes of dishonesty, and they were calculated," said
"It's just inexcusable," said the judge, as Ford's very-much-alive wife, and other members of his family, sat in a courtroom gallery.
On the other side of the courtroom,
Lilja, who went public with her situation after Ford was first charged in the case, recounted in a victim-impact statement read by her daughter to Drechsler how she had been hurt in a fall and was in a wheelchair when she and her daughter and son-in-law came up with a plan that would allow her to remain in the
Ford, who called the elderly retired nurse "Nonni," had convinced her that he could build a second story on the ranch-style home, and that he'd be done before the holidays.
But he talked her out of financing the project with a construction loan -- something she later learned would have revealed his lack of any home improvement contractor license -- and instead convinced her to open a home equity line.
After gutting the home, he told Lilja he'd found asbestos and needed money for remediation. She gave him money for that, only to learn he'd simply stuffed it into a dumpster and left it around the property.
And then, he told her that he'd discovered the sills were rotted and would need to be replaced, at a cost of
"He told us we were like family,"
Instead of working on their home, Ford was using their money to buy new Cadillacs, pay rent on luxury homes in
Excuses
Two other victims, Adam and
That excitement soon turned into a nightmare.
When a unit above theirs flooded in 2014, causing extensive water damage, they looked for a contractor and found Ford. He showed up at their home. "The only thing he told them that was true was his name," Mallard told the judge, paraphrasing their victim-impact statement. They paid Ford
Then
And he discovered that Ford was not a veteran.
The Ellards ended up staying in a hotel for a time, then, when they'd maxed out their credit card, wound up in a relative's basement. They eventually moved back to their condo, but what work Ford had done was shoddy -- the floors are warping and the electrical work needs to be replaced.
A Hudson woman,
But then the excuses started, including the stories about his dying wife.
In fact, when
"I felt guilty and embarrassed that I had been so gullible," said Dean, who now cannot afford to retire and who is suffering from stress-related health problems she blames on the situation. But worse, she said, she no longer trusts her own judgment about others.
Ford pleaded guilty in November, just days before he was set to stand trial, to a total of 42 counts, including multiple charges of larceny, insurance fraud, forgery, home improvement fraud, violation of regulations governing asbestos removal and disposal, violating state building codes, and making false statements under oath, and single counts of identity fraud, workers compensation fraud, obtaining signatures by false pretense, conspiracy, making a false report of a crime, and to being a common and notorious thief.
Mallard, in a hearing in November, described how Ford repeatedly forged signatures and used the identities of licensed contractors. He also failed to file taxes for several years -- something he will have to do as a condition of his probation.
Ford also admitted to defrauding the insurance carrier for his own brother's company by claiming that he was an employee and then collecting workers compensation benefits and medical coverage.
Mallard had asked for a three to four year prison term.
Restitution owed
Defense lawyer
Bransfield had indicated that a friend of Ford would be paying the
The lawyer went on to say that at most, family members could pay
Bransfield also submitted 23 letters from family members and friends of Ford, who characterized him as a generous person.
"There are two sides to every story," Bransfield told the judge.
Since going public with her story, Lilja and her family received an outpouring of support from the community, including fundraisers.
Dean is supposed to receive
But Drechsler acknowledged that in the wake of a Supreme Judicial Court decision saying that judges cannot force a defendant to pay restitution if they are found unable to pay it, those victims may not get their money.
Courts reporter
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