Scam contractor sentenced to 47 years for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from homeowners
When he came to Tarrant County, it seems that Chad Cappiello set his sights on Saginaw.
“He knew exactly what to do. He knew how to make you feel comfortable,” homeowner Cindy Tumlinson recalled.
Tumlinson, a teacher and mom, had been wanting to do a remodel of the master bathroom in her home. She did some web searches for contractors online, and she believes that that is how she became the target of Cappiello.
“It’s really hard to admit when you have been tricked,” Tumlinson said.
Homeowners were cold-called after searching online
Cappiello cold-called Tumlinson’s house one day, offering to do remodeling work. He gave his name as Chad Russell and claimed to have a company called Extreme Contracting out of Dallas. Tumlinson said he visited their home and did sketches of the work, and she handed over some $5,000 to him to get started on the project. But nothing was ever done, and he stopped returning calls.
“It just breaks your heart how cruel and callus he was with other people’s money,” Tumlinson said.
Kathy Smith, another homeowner in Saginaw, was also targeted by Cappiello after searching online. She thought she had a signed contract for a brand new kitchen.
“I borrowed the money from my 401(k),” Smith said.
But he disappeared with her $15,000 and never performed any work. She said she has lost all the money.