DAYTON — A Miami Valley fencing contractor accused of leaving customers high and dry after taking deposits has entered his plea.
Daryl Fraley, 54, of Germantown pleaded guilty to charges in connection to the operation of his business, Dixie Fence South.
This includes 20 counts of theft, one count of theft from an elderly person, and four counts of theft from a protected class victim.
The News Center 7 I-Team first reported on Fraley and complaints against his business in November 2022. Since then, 25 victims from seven Miami Valley counties have been identified, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
“A total of almost $138,000 was taken from these people. This is simply a case of greed, agreed by one person,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck, Jr. previously told News Center 7.
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Heck said all 25 victims had identical stories. They paid Fraley down payments for a fence he either never built or started, but never finished.
The I-Team’s lead investigative reporter, John Bedell talked to a Kettering woman in November 2022 who was the first to file a consumer complaint against Fraley with Heck’s office.
Three months later in February 2023, Heck told the I-Team that his office had found 25 victims in total and his office had an open criminal investigation. Later that month, we showed you the Ohio Attorney General’s Office sued Fraley with a civil lawsuit to get consumers their money back.
>> PREVIOUS REPORT: Area fencing company accused of taking deposit, never starting work
Heck said the I-Team’s reporting “hawked this case” and helped bring about Fraley’s indictment.
“I think by seeing your reporting of it and seeing what was going on, and that involved a multitude of people, people were willing to come forward and that’s what we needed. I think it was a catalyst that actually helped us identify victims and also, you know, made it possible for us to get some justice for these victims,” Heck said.
Fraley is scheduled to be sentenced on May 3.
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