DAYTON — The owner of a contacting business in Oakwood has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of a second degree felony theft charge.
William C. Lambert, 61, was sentenced to serve a minimum of four years in prison after being convicted of Theft from an Elderly Person of over $37,500.
Lambert, through his company Lambco General Contractor, entered into a contract to build a home for a 72-year-old victim in Miamisburg on Sept. 25, 2018. The victim paid a down payment of $102,125 to Lambert’s company.
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In January 2020, the victim filed a complaint with the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Consumer Fraud Unit because the home had not been built. An investigation was conducted and confirmed that the only work that had been completed in the intervening 16 months was the cleaning of some trees on the victim’s lot.
Lambert was indicted for Theft from an Elderly Person of over $37,500 but less than $150,000 in October 2020.
In addition to the sentence, Lambert was also ordered to pay $95,000 in restitution to the victim.
Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr. said that Lambert has a history of theft convictions.
“Many of his prior convictions were for the same criminal conduct, taking a down payment to do construction work, and then doing little to nothing towards completing the work. Many of his prior convictions have been elderly,” Heck, Jr. said.