ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL: OWNER OF HOME REPAIR COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO HOME REPAIR FRAUD AND THEFT

Chicago  — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the owner of a home repair company pleaded guilty to charges that he defrauded customers out of thousands of dollars by failing to complete agreed upon home repair projects.

Edmund Kavanaugh, 53, of Elmhurst, Ill. pleaded guilty to charges of home repair fraud and theft in DuPage County Circuit Court and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Kavanaugh’s sentence will run consecutively to a three-year prison sentence resulting from a similar conviction prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office in 2021.

“Edmund Kavanaugh has a long history of scamming and defrauding the residents of DuPage and Cook counties. When one scam was stopped, he simply developed new ways to steal thousands of dollars from his victims,” Raoul said. “Individuals like him have no place in our communities, and I am pleased with this sentence that will prevent him from preying on future residents.”

Kavanaugh owns and operates Goliath Construction, a home repair business. The Attorney General’s office charged Kavanaugh in February 2021 alleging that he engaged in various schemes that involved him being hired for home repair jobs and collecting payment, but failing to complete any of the agreed-upon work. Kavanaugh also allegedly used alias names for himself and his business in order to procure home repair projects after details of his past scams became public. As he did when using his real name and business, Kavanaugh collected payments but did no work or only partial work while operating under these aliases.

Raoul’s office prosecuted the case in partnership with DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomingdale Police Department, Hanover Park Police Department and the Westmont Police Department.

Raoul’s Consumer Fraud Bureau has received numerous consumer complaints about Kavanaugh, and the office has taken action against him multiple times over the last several years. In 2006, the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Bureau entered into a civil consent decree with Kavanaugh that enjoined him from various home repair conduct. However, in response to consumer complaints, the Attorney General’s office indicted Kavanaugh in August 2018 for alleged home repair fraud and theft. He was sentenced to three years in prison, which he will serve consecutive to today’s sentence. In October 2018, the Illinois Attorney General’s office filed a civil lawsuit against Kavanaugh for defrauding customers out of thousands of dollars by selling defective appliances. Most recently, in January 2021, Raoul’s office filed home repair fraud and theft charges against Kavanaugh in Cook County. The cases are currently pending.

Consumers who believe they have been the victim of fraud can file a complaint on the Attorney General’s website or by calling the Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-0618.

Assistant Attorney General Maryanne Mlikotic handled the cases for Raoul’s Criminal Enforcement Division.