Contractor took $400K, left 27 customers with incomplete projects: Charges
RAMSEY CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - The owner of Chando Construction faces several charges after an investigation found that his company took more than $400,000 in deposits for projects that were then never completed, and failed to repay several employees for wages.
Chando Construction charges
What we know:
Christopher Don Chandonnet, 48, of Ramsey, is charged with two counts of theft and one count of insurance fraud, after charges lay out business practices that left 27 customers with incomplete projects, and six snow removal workers who say they were not paid for their work.
Dig deeper:
According to charges filed in Ramsey County, in February 2023, multiple people reported to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) that Chando Construction had failed to pay them wages for snow removal work. Chando Construction is owned by Chandonnet.
DLI then referred the matter to the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to investigate potential wage theft.
Investigators then interviewed several employees, including some who held management roles for Chando Construction, while also obtaining financial records from the business.
Chando Construction incomplete projects
What we know:
As part of the investigation, charges state that law enforcement interviewed Paul Hinz, who said he began working for Chando Construction as a production manager, but later noticed problems tied to business operations when a company credit card was declined during an attempt to buy supplies for construction projects. Hinz also recalled attempting to make a purchase at a lumberyard when he was informed that the company account was frozen, according to charges.
During the interview, Hinz told law enforcement that he had a list of people and businesses who had paid money to Chando Construction for work that had not been performed – many of the jobs involving repairs for storm damage that he believed involved insurance claims. Hinz told authorities he could gather the contact information he had for customers and provide it to law enforcement, according to charges.
In total, charges state that Chandonnet received more than $400,000 from customers from May 2021 to October 2022, for projects that were not completed.
During the investigation, law enforcement reviewed 15 bank accounts across five financial institutions from September 2019 to May 2023 to trace funds paid by a total of 27 victims.
It was later also determined that Chandonnet had committed wage theft by failing to pay at least six workers the wages owed to them.
Big picture view:
Felony theft charges have been filed against Chandonnet in Washington County for separate victims.
Chandonnet also previously pleaded guilty in April 2008 to a felony charge of issuing a dishonored check in Anoka County.