Contractor must repay for Joplin rebuild work
BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
4/17/12 at 6:29 AM
An Owasso contractor who failed to complete work on homes damaged last year by the Joplin tornado must pay restitution, according to the Office of the Missouri Attorney General.
William Pittman, 34, was doing business as Precision Contracting and Roofing and as CWRP, LLC. Pittman accepted payment from Joplin homeowners to repair their homes but failed to complete all of the work, said Nanci Gonder, a spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster.
The EF-5 twister that struck Joplin May 22, 2011, killed 161 people and destroyed or damaged more than 7,500 structures. Pittman's alleged violations occurred between May 22 and Sept. 30, documents show.
"The Attorney General's Office takes very seriously the work to rebuild Joplin," Koster said in a prepared statement. "We will continue to prosecute anyone who tries to take advantage of our citizens."
Under the terms of the settlement with the AG's Office, Pittman must pay $4,500 in restitution to consumers who were harmed and a $2,000 penalty to the state. The attorney general will also hold Pittman accountable for any consumer who files a complaint within the next 60 days and provides documentation of loss caused by the defendants.
Any consumers who paid money to William Pittman in connection with these businesses but who haven't been provided the goods or services are urged to call the Attorney General's Consumer Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or file a consumer complaint online at tulsaworld.com/moag
The agreement filed also requires Pittman to comply with Missouri consumer laws and all state and local business registration and license requirements.
CWRP LLC has an "F" rating with the Tulsa Better Business Bureau, according to the BBB's website, which listed four complaints with the company in the past three years.
Efforts to reach Pittman immediately were unsuccessful.
Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395
rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com
