A convicted swindler with a 30-year criminal history has been charged with fraud and racketeering for not building log homes paid for by customers in Utah and other states.

    Jack Daggs, 54, of Heber City, was taken into custody Thursday and charged in 3rd District Court on nine counts of communications fraud and one count of racketeering. If convicted, he could face one to five years in state prison, said Francine Giani, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce.

    Daggs is charged with taking more than $250,000 from prospective log-home owners from September 2003 to the present, then failing to build the homes and instead using the money for personal expenses.

    He also allegedly failed to pay subcontractors, which led to liens on victims' property.
    Daggs was not licensed as a general contractor. He conducted business as Technology Plus, though that business license expired in July 2005, and solicited business as Bearcat Contractors, a nonexistent entity, according to state licensing records.

    In 1997, Daggs was charged and pleaded guilty to ripping off customers at an auto repair business. He served probation until 2001. He also owes more than $100,000 to former heating and air conditioning suppliers.

    The Commerce Department said Daggs' history includes charges of issuing bad checks, fraud, theft, theft by deception and

 

alcohol-related crimes between March 1975 and January 2005.

    "Jack Daggs has a long history of taking consumers' money," Giani said in a news release.

    In the same statement, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said the state "will do everything possible to bring phony contractors to justice."

    Phony contractors are a perennial national problem, preying on victims of natural disasters and homeowners looking to fix up their houses, say a host of organizations including the National Association of Home Builders and state attorneys general.

    Consumer advocates suggest dealing only with licensed contractors who have proper insurance. Check out the license number with the state to make sure the contractor is using a legitimate license. Contractors who don't have listed phone numbers, ask for more than a relatively small down payment, don't offer written contracts or resist customers' objections or requests for lien waivers are bad bets.

    Giani's office suggested Utah residents can check out contractors on the "Buyer Beware" list at http://www.dcp.utah.gov. The list is by no means exhaustive, as Daggs is not on it.

    Contractors and other service providers' license status can be checked at http://dopl.utah.gov.