Garages R Us owner facing two felonies for alleged fraud
An Oakland County garage contractor is facing two felonies for allegedly scamming multiple homeowners out of tens of thousands of dollars.
Garages R Us owner Artemio Sessions, 53, was arraigned Friday in 50th District Court in Pontiac for:
• One count of false pretenses over $1,000 but less than $20,000, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and/or $10,000, or three times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater.
• One count of conducting a criminal enterprise, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or $100,000 fine.
Judge Michael Martinez set bond at $5,000.
According to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office, Sessions is believed to have contracted with customers — some repeatedly — got paid, and then failed to start or complete the work. After a period of time, he allegedly would stop returning calls or messages.
The alleged fraud happened in Pontiac, Rochester Hills, Westland, Mt. Clemens, Redford and Saline.
“An individual who hones and perfects a routine for defrauding individuals out of their hard-earned dollars is perpetrating a scam and must be held accountable,” Attorney General Nessel stated in the news release. “Consumers must always be on the alert for these kinds of criminals and take every reasonable precaution to protect themselves from those looking to take advantage of a situation.”
Sessions is scheduled for a probable cause hearing on April 20.