Lafayette man arrested on home contractor fraud charge

OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) -- In an investigation going back to February 2020, a Lafayette man has been arrested on residential contractor fraud, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz.

Albert George Johnson, 48, of Lafayette, faces a charge of home improvement fraud. He was arrested on Aug. 27 and was given a $3,500 bond.

Guidroz said detectives were first notified on Feb. 23, 2020. The victim had entered into a contract with Johnson as the owner of Alliance Covenant Painting, LLC. Johnson agreed to remodel the victim's residence and got an initial payment on Sept. 21, 2019. Work began the next day, according to Guidroz.

"Johnson continued to receive payment for labor and material but sporadically worked at the victim’s residence," said Guidroz. "Albert Johnson last worked at the residence on December 20, 2019, and did not complete the remodel. The total amount the victim paid to Albert Johnson was $14,200, which included material and labor for the remodeling project."

Both the victim and detectives made numerous attempts to contact Johnson in regards to the remodel, but were unsuccessful, said the sheriff.