Businessman gets prison for scamming Villa Park man
A Woodridge businessman with a history of writing bad checks and ripping people off is set to serve a nine-year prison sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to theft and financial institution fraud.
The charges and sentence stem from two separate cases in December 2014 and January 2015 in which he stole from a customer and wrote bad checks to another business.
During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Diane Michalak said Briggs stole more than $117,000 from a 79-year-old Villa Park man who hired him to install siding on his home and remodel his kitchen.
Michalak said the victim paid Briggs $17,000 upfront, but Briggs came back almost daily for a week claiming to need more money for supplies.
The victim's family members contacted police when they were notified by the bank about multiple payments made to Briggs.
Michalak said paperwork from several local casinos also proved Briggs often gambled the money away on the same days in which he collected it from the victim.
Michalak said no work was ever done to the victim's home, no supplies were ever ordered and the victim never received a refund, aside from $25,000 Briggs has paid in restitution.
The financial institution fraud charge is the result of Briggs intentionally writing a $13,958.29 check on Dec. 15, 2014, to a brand promotion company for services rendered, knowing the check would not be authorized by the bank.
Michalak said Briggs was on parole when he committed the crimes, after serving eight years in prison on several similar theft by deception charges.
Briggs also has an outstanding theft charge in Las Vegas and is wanted on a $1.5 million warrant for writing a bad $130,000 check in May.
"(David) Briggs' greed knows no boundaries," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "Whether stealing more than $115,000 from an elderly gentleman or refusing to pay $14,000 for services provided to him, Briggs is only concerned about himself. His inability to control his greed, however, has caught up with him and he will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars for his actions."
Briggs will be required to serve half of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He was also ordered to pay full restitution to his victims.