To Catch a Contractor

Liam McNeil is a licensed nurse practitioner who had been moonlighting as a contractor running LHS Construction. Customers accuse McNeil of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments, and then trying to get the debts on the unfinished projects wiped away by bankruptcy....

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The branch of the Department of Justice that polices bankruptcy cases is taking action against a Weymouth home improvement contractor who abruptly shuttered his business last year, leaving customers with a trail of unfinished projects. According to a recent complaint filed in federal court, the U.S. Trustee is objecting to the discharge of Liam McNeil’s debts. McNeil is a...

We look into why Massachusetts authorities often don’t consider it criminal when projects go wrong and cost people thousands of dollars.

Throughout reporting our “To Catch a Contractor” series, this question keeps emerging: Does Massachusetts law need to change to make it easier for consumers to hold bad contractors accountable?

The branch of the U.S. Department of Justice that polices bankruptcy cases is demanding a slew of financial records and also wants to depose a home improvement contractor and his wife, according to a court filing obtained by the NBC10 Investigators. The case involves Liam McNeil, a licensed nurse practitioner who had been moonlighting as a contractor running LHS...

In April, we told you about the nurse practitioner who was moonlighting as a contractor and accused of ripping off homeowners for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The business owner filed for bankruptcy to wipe away those debts, but the NBC10 Investigators have learned the U.S. Trustee wants to take a closer look at the contractor’s financial records....

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With the spring weather arriving, you might be thinking about some improvements to make around the house. However, Massachusetts State Police are warning people to keep an eye out for a sophisticated group of traveling contractors, often with ties to Ireland and the United Kingdom. The transnational scheme is something the NBC10 Investigators have been tracking for the past year…

The Newton, Massachusetts, home that Ariel Dowling and husband Aron Levin purchased a couple of years ago had many of the characteristics they were looking for during their search, including a community feel and walkability to shops, restaurants and their kids’ elementary school. But at 100 years old, the house was in need of some updating to make it more…

Our reporting is putting thousands of dollars from a state program back into the pockets of homeowners who have been ripped off.

When Paul Kless hired Donald McNeil to build an addition at his Bridgewater home in 2017, the contractor’s career as a Randolph firefighter provided added peace of mind. After years of saving up, Kless and his wife, Susan, wanted to add space for their family of three growing kids. “This is somebody trustworthy,” Kless remembers thinking. “I so blindly trusted…

An NBC10 investigation looked into a nurse practitioner moonlighting as a contractor who is accused of ripping off homeowners, including some of his fellow co-workers in healthcare. Turns out he might be following in his father’s footsteps. A few years ago, people hired a firefighter with a contracting side hustle and ended up in a similar financial hole. 

Desa Vazquez walked us to the piece of property in Mansfield, Massachusetts, that she eventually hopes to call home. The mother of three kids said she saved up for years working 80-hour weeks in the health care field to afford a place to live. Standing and looking at the plot of land, Vazquez recalled the excitement of finally finding a…

Liam McNeil, a nurse practitioner, allegedly ripped off homeowners with his side hustle.

A Worcester County woman is warning other homeowners about how a professional encounter quickly turned into $20,000 down the drain.

The flier left hanging on her front door was perfectly timed. Just one day earlier, Liz Pereira had discovered water seeping into the basement of her Millbury, Massachusetts, home. The leak had damaged drywall and soaked her daughter’s belongings. According to the advertisement from Landmark Masonry and Construction, the business had 25 years of experience and boasted positive online reviews….

A Fall River contractor already accused of taking customers’ money and not finishing projects is now accused of selling dozens of puppies from his home without a license.

A home improvement contractor who was already feeling the heat from unhappy customers is now facing thousands of dollars in fines from a state agency tied to allegations of illegally transporting and selling puppies out of his Fall River, Massachusetts, home. Larry Westgate imported dogs from Pennsylvania without the required medical certificates from a veterinarian, according to an enforcement action…

Dan O’Connor remembers getting the voicemail and feeling confused. The structural engineer has more than 30 years of industry experience works on large transportation projects for state agencies and municipalities. According to the message, there were questions about a report he’d supposedly written about a home in Malden, Massachusetts. “I had zero idea what they were talking about,” O’Connor...

Authorities are warning homeowners about a sophisticated contracting scam by a transnational criminal organization.

More homeowners are speaking out about a business owner who they say collected payments for projects and didn’t finish the jobs. Customers even formed a private group on social media to gain strength in numbers and try to hold the contractor accountable.