Woodridge Business Owner Convicted in $135K Fraud Case

A Woodridge business owner who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $135,000 from clients and a business associate has been sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

David Briggs, 30 of the 6700 block of Lakeview Court in Woodridge, pleaded guilty Jan. 14 to financial institution fraud and theft by deception, both Class 2 felonies, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Briggs has been ordered to pay full restitution, and he will have to serve half his sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

Briggs owned and operated a home remodeling company, and prosecutors say on Dec. 17, 2014, he received a down payment of $17,000 to remodel an elderly man’s kitchen and install siding on his house, a job quoted at $31,495.

Prosecutors say Briggs convinced the then-79-year-old man to give him up to $114,000, but Briggs reportedly didn’t do any of the work and didn’t return the money.

Briggs was also accused of stealing more than $30,000 from another client and not paying an associate $14,000 for graphics and logo work.

“Mr. Briggs’ greed knows no boundaries,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin in a statement. “Whether stealing more than $115,000 from an elderly gentleman or refusing to pay $14,000 for services provided to him, Mr. 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.

Photo courtesy of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.