ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL: OWNER OF HOME REPAIR COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO AGGRAVATED HOME REPAIR FRAUD, 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 in Cook County Circuit Court to charges of aggravated home repair fraud, home repair fraud and theft, 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, and concurrent to a recent conviction prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office in DuPage County.

“Edmund Kavanaugh has a long history of scamming and defrauding the residents of Cook and DuPage counties, and today’s sentence will help prevent him from preying on any residents in the future,” Raoul said. “Prolific scammers like him have no place in our communities, and I am committed to continuing to hold accountable individuals who take advantage of consumers by taking money and not performing the work promised.”

Kavanaugh owns and operates a home repair business named Goliath Construction. The Attorney General’s office charged Kavanaugh in January 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 investigated the case in partnership with the Arlington Heights, Berkeley, Hoffman Estates, Niles, Tinley Park and Western Springs police departments.

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 practices. In August 2018, the Attorney General’s office indicted Kavanaugh for alleged home repair fraud and theft. He was sentenced to three years in prison, which he will serve consecutively 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 March, Kavanaugh pleaded guilty to charges of home repair fraud and theft the Attorney General’s office filed in DuPage County. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, which he will serve concurrent to today’s seven year sentence.

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.