A Walled Lake man who swindled homeowners out of big bucks under the guise of building them new garages has been sentenced to hard time. Artemio ‘Temo’ Sessions, 56, was slapped with a 40-240 month prison term on Tuesday for pulling off a string of scams through his bogus business, Garages R Us.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel dropped the hammer on Sessions, saying “Michigan consumers want the professionals they contract with to be reputable, skilled tradesmen, not rampant scammers,” in a statement obtained by the Detroit News. Sessions took tens of thousands from unsuspecting victims, then let excuses fly for why he couldn't start or finish the garage jobs, Nessel's office said.

Sessions was finally cornered by the law after customers grew tired of his disappearing acts when they tried to pin him down. The guy was notorious for suddenly going MIA and not returning calls or messages, authorities reported.

In a public notice, the Michigan Department of Attorney General revealed that Sessions had been contracting with customers, taking their payments, and then perpetually making excuses for his inability to kick off or complete the construction work. This scam affected people in Pontiac, Westland, Rochester Hills, Mt. Clemens, Redford, and Saline. Eventually, Session’s charade came crashing down, and a jury found him guilty on charges of false pretenses and conducting a criminal enterprise – per the Michigan Department of Attorney General's website.

Judge Cheryl Matthews of Oakland County's 6th Circuit Court laid down Sessions' sentence, which brings an end to the contractor's run of deception. Nessel took the sentencing as an opportunity to remind Michigan residents to thoroughly vet tradesmen before signing a contract and that her office is dedicated to prosecuting those who think they can easily rip off hardworking Michiganders.