THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607100345
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 40 lines
A contractor was charged Tuesday with trying to bilk a couple who had hired him to rebuild their Linkhorn Shores home after a suspicious fire destroyed it in January.
Fire Department spokesman Chase Sargent said Thomas Stafford was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly scheming with a lumber supplier to inflate construction costs and split the extra profits. He was arrested and charged with attempting to obtain money under false pretenses.
Investigators say Stafford, 44, is a suspect in the arson that destroyed the nearly complete home on Taylor Point Road that belonged to John and Joyce Fain. No one has been charged in the crime. The January fire caused more than $600,000 damage to the residence, which was under construction.
Law enforcement agents said Stafford stood to profit from the arson because he expected the homeowners to hire him to build the replacement, which they did.
While rebuilding the home, Stafford, of Stafford & Son Builders, asked suppliers to pad their bills, Sargent said. Sargent said the arson investigation uncovered the alleged scheme.
Stafford is well known in the home-building industry. His houses were frequent centerpieces in neighborhood home shows, such as Homearama.
Investigators said Stafford has closed his office on North Great Neck Road and has sold much of his heavy construction equipment.
Stafford did not return a page or answer his cellular phone, and he did not return a message left at his work number.
According to law enforcement and the construction industry officials, Stafford asked one lumber company to add $5,000 to the price of framing materials for the new home, but the company refused. Stafford also approached another building contractor, where company employees allegedly agreed to add thousands of dollars to an order bound for the Fains' luxury home, according to investigators.
KEYWORDS: CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR ARSON SCAM FRAUD
BUILDER VIRGINIA BEACH by CNB