A Virginia contractor took about $1.2 million from six families to build custom homes that were never finished, prosecutors said.
The builder was identified as 76-year-old Richard Craig Tadlock, who operated in Fairfax County, Virginia.
In 2021 and 2022, six families in Fairfax County hired Tadlock to build custom homes, according to prosecutors.
None of the houses were ever completed, prosecutors said. Some projects never moved beyond the earliest stages of construction.
Between 2021 and 2023, Tadlock received approximately $1.2 million from the families for construction that was never finished, prosecutors said.
Evidence presented at trial showed that some materials the families paid for were never purchased, prosecutors said.
The contractor repeatedly failed to provide meaningful progress updates to the families, according to trial evidence.
Prosecutors said Tadlock intended to defraud the homeowners from the time the contracts were signed.
Tadlock continued taking money while leaving families with depleted construction loans, prosecutors said. Victims were left with unfinished houses.
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Some families had their life savings tied up in the projects while waiting for homes going nowhere, prosecutors said.
In October 2023, Tadlock was arrested after multiple families reported he took their money while failing to complete their homes.
The case went to trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court and lasted three weeks, records show.
On June 17, 2026, a jury convicted Tadlock of five counts of construction fraud and one count of obtaining money by false pretenses.
During his sentencing hearing, several families described the financial and emotional damage they suffered from the scheme.
Homeowners said Tadlock drew money from their loans while never starting construction at all in some cases. Others were left with unfinished houses.
The judge admonished Tadlock several times during the hearing for speaking out of turn.
“I have nothing to lose,” Tadlock told the judge at one point.
On September 10, 2026, Tadlock was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by five years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay nearly $2 million in restitution.
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