photo credit: ShutterstockTwo men who posed as licensed roofing contractors and targeted elderly homeowners have been sentenced to prison in Marin County for their roles in a fraud scheme that stole more than $340,000 from local victims, county officials said Thursday.
John McNamara, 49, and Dean Morgan, 34, were each sentenced in Marin County Superior Court to three years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple felony counts of grand theft by false pretenses. The crimes were committed in March 2024 against four victims between the ages of 78 and 85.
County officials said McNamara and Morgan, along with several unidentified men, claimed to work for a fictitious company called "Nashes Roofing & Construction," which they said was based in San Francisco. The group targeted elderly residents in several Bay Area counties, Sacramento County and Colorado.
According to the Marin County District Attorney's Office, the men persuaded victims to sign roofing and construction contracts, often using realistic-looking business cards, invoices and a fake website. In some cases, they knocked on doors and told homeowners their roofs needed urgent repairs. They collected large down payments and, in most cases, did little or no repair work before disappearing.
McNamara and Morgan were convicted in Colorado in March 2025 for a similar roofing scam. Morgan was also convicted in Sacramento County. Including those cases, each man will serve a total of nine years and eight months in prison, prosecutors said.
"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," District Attorney Lori Frugoli said in a statement.
The District Attorney's Office urged homeowners to verify that contractors have a valid license before agreeing to any work by checking the California State Department of Consumer Affairs website. Under California law, contractors may accept a down payment of only $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. Charging more than that is a crime under state law, authorities said.
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