Missouri's dealing out justice, as Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has laid down the law on a Camden County home remodeler who took a walk on the wrong side of legal lines. Brandon Ward, the man behind Insight Contractors, was hit with a guilty plea for felony counts of Deceptive Business Practice and Stealing, after cashing in and leaving homeowners with little more than a mess and a dream of what could have been.
Back in 2022, Ward pocketed a cool $61,650 in upfront payments from homeowners looking to spruce up their digs. Instead, they got the ultimate lesson in buyer beware as Ward did a half-hearted job before packing up his tools and leaving projects in the lurch. Fast forward to October 9, and justice's hammer has come swinging down in Camden County Circuit Court, where Ward's been ordered to cough up the full amount in restitution, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Ward's misadventures with morality have earned him a place in the Missouri Department of Corrections, with sentences of four years for the deceptive practices, and seven for the stealing part of the show. But he won't actually see the inside of a cell just yet, because those sentences are suspended in favor of probation—a stretch that'll last five years.
Flexing her office's muscle, Attorney General Hanaway dropped a line for all to hear, "This sentencing sends a clear message: contractors who deceive and exploit Missouri homeowners will be held accountable," as mentioned on the Attorney General's Office. That's pretty clear cut, no ambiguity about who's wearing the white hat in the Attorney General's Office. Those who fear they've been played by Insight Contractors or Brandon Ward themselves, can dial up the Consumer Protection Section or lodge their grievances online. And while the charges against Ward had their day in court, the law's still clear that a defendant's innocent until proven otherwise.
