Contact: Beth Stone (508) 584-8120
BROCKTON – A South Shore contractor who ran a scheme to defraud nearly 50 homeowners of thousands of dollars has been indicted on Larceny and other charges, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
A Plymouth County Grand Jury today returned indictments against Matthew R. Will (DOB: 04/22/84) of Pembroke, charging him with one count each of Larceny of Property Over $1,200 by Single Scheme, State Building Code Violation, Employer Failing to Have Workers Compensation, Money Laundering, and Being a Common and Notorious Thief. Will was also indicted on seven counts of Home Improvement Contracting Violations and three counts each of Forgery and Uttering.
In July, 2018, a Middleboro Police investigation began when at least 15 individuals reported that Will had defrauded them out of funds ranging from $800 to $12,000. The grand jury investigation revealed a substantial criminal enterprise involving multiple victims that extends across the entire state. In total, the indictments allege that approximately 50 victims, most elderly, have been defrauded in the towns of Middleboro, Kingston, Duxbury, Brockton, Plympton, Wareham, North Easton, Hanson, Falmouth and Pembroke. The approximate total amount that Will is alleged to have defrauded customers of is in excess of $250,000. On March 2 and 3, 2018, a severe Nor’easter storm struck the New England region, with heavy rains that caused extensive power outages as a result of downed trees. Many homes within Oak Point, a large retirement community in Middleboro for people aged 55 and over, were left badly damaged from the storm. Will, doing business as 5-Star Discount Roofing, offered his services to homeowners to repair their roofs. Will took payments and never returned to start any work. Homeowners often found themselves unable to get a hold of Matthew Will who ignored concerned texts and calls from customers.
In late July, 2018, Hanson Police Department received a complaint from a couple who reported that Will had defrauded them when they hired him to replace damaged shingles on their newly purchased home. In August, 2018, Kingston Police were contacted by a couple who also reported that Will had defrauded them after providing him with a down payment for his roofing services. In November 2018, Wareham Police also received a report from a customer who reported that Will had defrauded him after accepting payment to repair his roof in East Bridgewater. Will holds a Construction Supervisor’s License from the state and has been operating his business as 5-Star Discount Roofing out of a Halifax address. The indictments allege that Will engaged in a pattern of criminal conduct or scheme while operating as a contractor through 5-Star Discount Roofing. The indictments further allege that Will made false statements about the length of time to complete projects to induce customers to employ him, that he received funds from customer’s jobs but then did not pay his employees, vendors or for equipment. Investigators further found that Will allegedly forged and uttered the signatures of customers on contracts submitted to obtain building permits and used false names to obtain jobs with customers.
The grand jury investigation revealed that Will continued to remain in business well after these initial reports were made to police, falsely telling customers in Pembroke, Hanson and Falmouth that the name of his company was “Matthew Ryan Roofing.” The customers, unaware of the earlier allegations, hired Will to repair their roofs and were unable to reach him after he failed to start any work. Will was taken into custody on May 9, 2019 at his home in Pembroke where he attempted to evade police capture which required the assistance of a K-9 unit.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who feels that have been a victim of Will’s or 5-Star Discount Roofing should contact their local police department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexander Zane and was investigated by Sgt. Eugene Andrews of the Hanson Police and the Middleboro Police Department, Pembroke Police Department and Wareham Police Department.