OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — An Oklahoma contractor has pleaded guilty to racketeering and embezzlement charges.
Michael Hanson, 43, was charged Wednesday with 29 counts of felony embezzlement, three counts of misdemeanor embezzlement, and one count of racketeering.
Hanson’s guilty plea comes after an investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit.
The investigation started in November 2021 after nine victims filed complaints. By the end of the probe, 23 additional victims came forward.
The Attorney General’s office says Hanson took more than $190,000 from Oklahoma homeowners.
In a news release, the Attorney General’s office says Hanson’s company, Leaders Construction LLC, would require partial payments up front for concrete or fence work and would fail to complete the projects or refund the payments.
Hanson will now serve a 20-year prison sentence, including 12 years for racketeering and eight years for the additional embezzlement counts.
The Edmond Police Department and Logan County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond encourages anyone who believes they may have been a victim of contractor fraud to contact the Consumer Protection Unit at 1-833-681-1895 or at www.oag.ok.gov/consumer-protection.