California Construction News staff writer
Two men who posed as licensed roofing contractors have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a fraud scheme that targeted elderly homeowners and stole more than $340,000, authorities said.
John McNamara, 49, and Dean Morgan, 34, were each sentenced in Marin County Superior Court to three years and eight months after pleading guilty to multiple felony counts of grand theft by false pretenses. The crimes were committed in March 2024 against four victims ranging in age from 78 to 85, prosecutors said.
The men, along with several unidentified accomplices, falsely claimed to work for a company called Nashes Roofing & Construction, purportedly based in San Francisco. Authorities said the company was fictitious.
Investigators said the group specifically targeted elderly residents and traveled throughout several Bay Area counties, Sacramento County and Colorado. The men used realistic-looking business cards, invoices and a fake website to persuade victims to sign roofing and construction contracts, prosecutors said.
In some cases, the suspects knocked on doors without invitation and told homeowners their roofs required urgent repairs. They then collected large down payments and performed little to no work before disappearing, authorities said.
Both men were convicted in Colorado in March 2025 in connection with a similar roofing scam. Morgan also was convicted in Sacramento County. Including those cases, each man will serve a total of nine years and eight months in prison.
“The Marin County District Attorney’s Office is steadfastly committed to holding scammers criminally accountable for their fraudulent acts, particularly fraud committed against our senior population,” said Lori Frugoli, district attorney for Marin County District Attorney’s Office.
The district attorney’s office urged homeowners to verify that contractors hold a valid license before agreeing to work by checking with the California Department of Consumer Affairs.
Under California law, contractors may collect only a down payment of $1,000 or 10% of the total contract price, whichever is less. Charging more is a crime under the state Business and Professions Code.
