Contractor vanishes; jilts dozens

"It looks pretty."

From the outside Jill Stoeckel can only wonder about the inside of her Virginia Beach home.

"The kitchen looks nice."

For seven years, Jill and her husband waited to build their dream home. They saved, shopped and found just what they wanted in the hands of Back Bay Homes and company president Michael Perry.

"We looked into it, we checked him out and he seemed legit," says Stoeckel.

From the lighting to the floor, Jill and her husband created the home they dreamed of for themselves and their three children.

They sunk $20,000 of their own money into the Mayberry neighborhood property. Then Jill noticed work stopped on her home. Her closing date came and went. Then she got the phone call from Back Bay.

"I'm sorry, we can't close. I don't know if and when we could close."

Needless to say, Jill was very disappointed.

Jill drove to the company's office on Chandler Creek Court.

"They wouldn't unlock the doors. They told me they had no information on my home. I'm crying, saying I need a home for my children. She said, 'I'm sorry, today's my last day; get an attorney.'"

Jill turned to 10 On Your Side and we found the office locked, empty and in shambles. Our investigation uncovered records showing liens against Perry's company totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Also out in the cold, contractors Bill Stanford and Bert Fanton. The men are just two of the many of contractors Perry is accused of jilting.

"I'm mad. When you can't feed your family, can't pay your guys because they keep giving you the run around for your money," says Fanton.

The sting is especially painful for Stanford, who worked with Perry for 10 years and considered him a friend.

"I think when things started to deteriorate he kept trying to pull the business out of the fire. It kept getting worse and worse and we've gotten to a point where he's disappeared and no one is getting paid."

10 On Your Side also tried to track him down. The phone lines were disconnected. So we headed to his brother's Virginia Beach home. According to Jill, he oversaw her construction. No one answered the door. Perry's attorney, would not answer any of our questions.

Perry's abrupt departure has not gone unnoticed by the state. 10 On Your Side contacted the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. They are investigating. Unfortunately, the organization cannot make Perry repay anyone or fix anything. They can however, revoke his license.

Meanwhile, Jill's left wondering and waiting

"I never expected that this would ever happen in a million years."

A spokesperson with DPOR says if you're a victim, file a complaint with the organization. To recoup any money in the contractor recovery fund, you must get a court ordered judgement against the contractor. The fund is capped at $20,000.

Related links:

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation