KIRKLAND, Wash. — A home remodeling contractor out of Kirkland pleaded guilty to wire fraud for a scheme to steal more than $3.5 million from customers.
Joseph Bergevin, 58, admitted in U.S. District Court that he forged invoices to steal money from 24 customers who hired him for projects. He will be sentenced Nov. 7.
Between 2016 and 2019, Bergevin served as a general contractor on home remodeling projects. He was responsible for arranging subcontractors to work on projects and to make sure they were paid, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
During the scheme, Bergevin presented customers with hundreds of forged subcontractor invoices.
The dozens of homeowners are finally getting the justice they have hoped for after a yearslong FBI investigation.
"It's a long time to wait for justice to be done," said Special Agent Ethan Via of FBI Seattle. "To have someone do this to them, it's unthinkable. So, people never see it coming, and there's nothing they could do."
According to Bergevin's website, Bergevin is a lifetime resident of Kirkland who wants "[his] clients to feel as much as possible like an extension of family.”
FBI Special Agent Ethan Via said clients ended up feeling like anything but family.
"He would use logos from the actual subcontractor, or sometimes make them up, and then send them to the victims saying, 'Hey, I paid this invoice. Now you need to pay me.' And they work because, you know, they wanted their dream house," said Via.
Via says Bergevin wasn’t paying the subcontractors either.
Bergevin told customers the invoices were for work that had been done or would be done. In some instances, he said that by paying up front, the customer would receive a lower rate for materials.
False invoices totaled $3,554,054. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Bergevin must pay back at least that in restitution.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Kirkland police and King County Sheriff's Office.
Via said the victims were paramount to getting the case in court.
"They were not gonna let Mr. Bergevin get away with what he did," said Via.
He said the victims tracked down the subcontractors and showed them the fake invoices.
"They're like, 'I've never seen this before. That's not that's not what my invoices look like,'" said Via.
While Bergevin is not currently incarcerated, he will be sentenced in early November. Wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the guidelines range determined by the court.