{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Chicks in Construction","title":"Caught in the Fraud: A Tale of Deception in Construction","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3546,"description":"Hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu share a personal update about a car crashing through Mikki's fence and guardrail, then dive into a North Texas construction scandal involving Christopher and Raquel Judge of Judge DFW LLC. Marketing themselves on social media as a Chip-and-Joanna-style design-build team, they allegedly offered below-market bids, collected deposits and installment payments, and left more than 40 families with unfinished or poorly done projects across 24 jobs, totaling about $4.8 million in losses. Investigators found Christopher was not a licensed architect despite claiming to be and despite warnings from the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. The case became federal due to wire fraud, large losses, and misrepresentation; both pled guilty, with potential prison time and restitution. The episode highlights key red flags and homeowner protections: verify licenses, avoid unusually low bids, use milestone-based payments, research history, and watch for communication breakdowns.\n00:00 Contractor Scam Fallout\n00:28 Podcast Intro and Format\n01:06 Midnight Crash Story\n04:50 Fence Damage and Insurance\n09:00 Safety Concerns and Fix Ideas\n15:04 Horror Story Setup\n16:04 North Texas Fraud Case\n21:37 Fake Architect Exposed\n24:19 Scam Playbook Breakdown\n25:15 Social Media and AI Fakes\n26:59 Online Trust Collapse\n27:48 Vetting Pros and Red Flags\n30:34 Where the Money Went\n31:14 Victims and Federal Case\n34:50 Wire Fraud and Plea Deals\n37:54 Restitution and No Money\n42:15 Red Flags Checklist\n51:06 Protect Yourself and Wrap Up","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/U4RQe6qavAk3WxUWLiKdTLcjOSkCRvzyPPS1Dj1fGLU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hMWVi/MzVhNTA2ZjUwMWI3/YzA2MDkxZmU3Njlh/NzkzNS5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}