DESPITE
DESPITE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC -- THE HOME CONSTRUCTION AND REMODELING
BUSINESS IS
BOOMING.
BUT CUSTOMERS OF A LOCAL
CONSTRUCTION
COMPANY CONTACTED THE KVUE
DEFENDERS
CLAIMING THEY'RE OUT TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS AFTER PAYING FOR HOME
IMPROVEMENTS
THEY DIDN'T GET.
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
BRAD STREICHER.
BRAD STREICHER. R
R
R IMAGINE
R IMAGINE SPENDING MOST OF YOUR SAVINGS TO
MAKE YOUR DREAM HOME COMPLETE.
ONLY TO HAVE
YOUR CONTRACTOR TAKE YOUR MONEY
AND RUN.
WE TALKED TO SEVERAL PEOPLE IN
THE AUSTIN AREA
WHO SAY THAT'S WHAT THE SAME
CONTRACTOR DID TO THEM.
AND OUR INVESTIGATION UNCOVERED.
THEY'RE NOT
ALONE.
6:45 I WAS GOING TO SPEND AS
MUCH MONEY AS I NEEDED TO
CREATE MY DREAM HOUSE.
ALL OF THESE WOMEN.
WE HAD SAVED UP MANY YEARS TO
GET THESE THINGS DONE TO
THE HOUSE.
HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON.
:35 WE HIRED APEX CONSTRUCTION
TO HELP US
WITH OUR DREAM HOUSE..
THEY HIRED THE SAME CONTRACTOR.
WHO
WHO ACCEPTED PAYMENTS. AND DIDN'T DO THE JOB. CONSTRUCTION CUSTOMER
4:35 YOU KNOW, I WANT TO BE ABLE
TO LOOK OUT MY WINDOW
AND ENJOY WHAT I SEE. AND RIGHT
NOW, I CRY.
AILEEN ALBERT DECIDED TO PUT A
POOL IN HER BACKYARD. SHE
FOUND APEX CONSTRUCTION. THE
COMPANY'S WEBSITE SAYS,
"AS A PREMIER GENERAL
CONTRACTOR, YOU CAN RELY
ON OUR EXPERIENCE AND
PROFESSIONAL
CREWS TO SHOW UP ON TIME AND
DELIVER THE
DREAM HOME YOU'VE BEEN
IMAGINING."
"I HAD A BEAUTIFUL YARD AT ONE
POINT IN TIME... IT WAS
GORGEOUS."
AILEEN SIGNED A CONTRACT IN MAY
WITH A MAN SHE SAYS
CALLED HIMSELF COREY JAMES.THE
OWNER OF
APEX. AFTER THE CONTRACTOR
ACCEPTED
ABOUT 130 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM
AILEEN AND HER
BOYFRIEND FOR THE PROJECT. THIS
IS WHAT HER BACKYARD
LOOKS LIKE TODAY.
I HONESTLY JUST DON'T GET IT HOW
ANYBODY CAN
BE THIS CRUEL TO SOMEBODY
AILEEN SAYS THE CONTRACTOR
STOPPED RETURNING
CALLS. NOW SHE CAN'T FIND HIM.
OR GET HIM TO FINISH THE JOB.
NATS: WOOSH
CONSTRUCTION CUSTOMER
IT WAS FAR BEYOND ANYTHING THAT
WE COULD HAVE
EVER IMAGINED.
ALISHA BRENCKLE AND HER HUSBAND
RECENTLY
BOUGHT THIS HOUSE ON CANYON
LAKE. THEY HIRED
COREY JAMES AND APEX
CONSTRUCTION IN FEBRUARY TO
RENOVATE IT BEFORE THEY MOVED
IN. THEY SAY "COREY"
KEPT ADDING WORK AND ASKING FOR
MORE MONEY.
AFTER PAYING ABOUT 65 THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
THIS IS WHAT WE CAME HOME TO.
JUST WIRES HANGING OUT.
THE FLOOR IS NOT FINISHED
BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO
COME UP INTO AN ISLAND. BUT
OBVIOUSLY, NONE OF THAT IS
HERE.
NATS: WOOSH
CONSTRUCTION CUSTOMER
NOTHING IS LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO
BE. I MEAN, I NEVER
BARGAINED FOR THIS.
SHERYL SMART SAYS APEX LEFT HER
WITH AN UNFINISHED
KITCHEN AND BATHROOM, AMONG
OTHER ISSUES. AFTER
PAYING ABOUT 130 THOUSAND
DOLLARS. SHE'S NOT SURE
HOW SHE WILL PAY TO FIX THE
PROBLEMS AND COMPLETE THE
WORK.
WE'RE WIPED OUT FINANCIALLY. AND
I'M SORRY.
I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO IT.
I REALLY DON'T.
NATS: WOOSH
WE INVESTIGATED AND FOUND OUT
THE
CONTRACTOR, COREY JAMES, IS
ACTUALLY MICHAEL COREY
GRAVES. COURT RECORDS SHOW HE'S
A CONVICTED
FELON WITH 8 THEFT CONVICTIONS
IN 6 DIFFERENT
TEXAS COUNTIES SINCE 2006. HE
WAS MOST RECENTLY
ARRESTED IN ROUND ROCK, FOR NOT
SHOWING UP
FOR COURT IN PENDING THEFT CASES
IN COLLIN AND DENTON
COUNTY.
RECORDS SHOW HE NOW HAS 2 ACTIVE
WARRANTS FOR
HIS ARREST IN DENTON, AND COLLIN
COUNTIES. AND
WILLIAMSON COUNTY IS IN THE
PROCESS OF OBTAINING
ANOTHER WARRANT.
"HI, MY NAME IS BRAD STREICHER,
I'M A REPORTER WITH
KVUE NEWS IN AUSTIN."
WE CALLED THE NUMBER LISTED ON
APEX CONSTRUCTION'
S WEBSITE. NO ANSWER..
"WE HAVE A NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS
WHO HAVE
COMPLAINED TO US"
AND NO CALL-BACK.
NATS: WOOSH
SO WE VISITED THE ROUND ROCK
BUSINESS ADDRESS
SHOWN ON APEX CONSTRUCTION' S
WEBSITE.
NATS: WOOSH
AND FOUND AN EMPTY OFFICE WITH A
LOCKBOX ON THE DOOR.
OFFICER AT BBB TEXAS
CERTAINLY THAT IS A RED FLAG
WITH BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU
ERIN DUFNER WITH THE BETTER
BUSINESS
BUREAU SAYS THEY'RE
INVESTIGATING SEVERAL
COMPLAINTS ABOUT APEX
CONSTRUCTION OF ROUND ROCK
AND MICHAEL GRAVES, AKA COREY
JAMES. SHE
ENCOURAGES ANYONE LOOKING TO
HIRE A
CONTRACTOR TO THOROUGHLY
RESEARCH THE COMPANY, GET
REFERENCES, AND NEVER PAY FOR
EVERYTHING
UPFRONT.
EVERYTHING UPFRONT. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DOING YOUR
RESEARCH AND
TAKING YOUR TIME, NOT MAKING
THAT DECISION RIGHT
AWAY, DEFINITELY CAN HELP
PROTECT YOU.
THAT'S PROTECTION AILEEN,
ALISHA, AND SHERYL
WISH THEY HAD.
OH, IT'S HEARTBREAKING TO THINK
THAT SOMEBODY CAN
TAKE HARD EARNED MONEY FROM
PEOPLE.
WITH THEIR HOMES IN SHAMBLES.
THESE
UNSATISFIED CUSTOMERS NOW HOPE
TO FIND GRAVES
AND SOMEHOW GET THEIR MONEY
BACK.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS IT'S
GOING TO TAKE
US TO TO BE ABLE TO PUT THIS
BACK TOGETHER,
BECAUSE, I MEAN, WE'VE ALREADY
TAKEN OUT TWO LOANS.
AND I YEAH, I'M VERY CONCERNED
THATD WE'RE
NOT GOING TO GET THE MONEY.
R
WE ALSO SPOKE TO FORMER
EMPLOYEES WHO SAY THEY HAVEN'T
BEEN PAID OR THEIR CHECKS HAVE
BOUNCED.
THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
SAFETY CONFIRMS IT
HAS AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION INTO
ALLEGATIONS OF
THEFT AGAINST MICHAEL GRAVES AND
APEX
CONSTRUCTION.
APEX CONSTRUCTION. IN THE MEANTIME, IF APEX
CONSTRUCTION
AND MICHAEL GRAVES, AKA COREY
JAMES TOOK YOUR
MONEY AND DIDN'T DO THE WORK.
LET US KNOW. FOR THE KVUE
DEFENDERS, I'M BRAD STREICHER,
KVUE NEWS.
KVUE NEWS.