- - Wannabe influencer couple left more than 40 Texas families with unfinished homes after $4.8M contracting fraud. How you can spot sketchy actors

Will KentonJanuary 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM

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Christopher and Raquelle Judge acted like home-improvement gurus online, but admitted to millions in fraud.

If you feel like everything is a scam these days, you’re not alone.

The conviction of a North Texas couple behind a nearly $5-million home-building scam has made headlines, proving that financial fraudsters come in many guises. The most dangerous could be the ones you’d least suspect.

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Christopher and Raquelle Judge, co-owners of the home remodeling business Judge DFW, pleaded guilty in late December 2025 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after defrauding more than 40 families across the Dallas-Fort Worth area (1).

The charismatic couple emulated TV and internet influencers like Chip and Joanna Gaines of “Fixer Upper” fame (2).

Their slick social media presence and good looks helped win over their victims. According to federal investigators and local reports, the Judges exploited homeowners’ trust and excused delays as being complexities of the construction process — all while concealing their theft.

Their clients were left with half-built houses, gutted savings accounts, and mortgages on properties that were uninhabitable.

The case highlights a broader national issue: construction fraud is widespread, and the systems designed to protect consumers remain porous.

How the Judges deceived homeowners

Scams work by playing on the trust and prior expectations of their victims. After winning attention with engaging social media content, Christopher Judge would falsely present himself as a licensed architect and general contractor, touting impressive but fictitious credentials to win trust.

After the mark was lured in, the couple would offer below-market bids (3). This was irresistible to families seeking to build in the hot Texas housing market.

Behind the scenes, they used deposits from new clients to cover the costs of previous projects. Court filings show that total financial losses to their clients added up to nearly $5 million, and the Judges skimmed a great deal of it for themselves (4). According to reporting from NBC and others, court documents show this included $82,000 in Amazon purchases and $10,000 in cosmetic surgery (3).

Victims told NBC and People that after signing contracts and wiring large deposits, construction either slowed to a crawl or stopped entirely. Many of the unfinished homes were later deemed structurally unsound or unsafe.

Families, some of whom had invested their life savings, were left paying mortgages on empty lots or partially built shells.

Raquelle Judge faces a maximum of five years of prison time; while Christopher Judge could serve as much as 20. Their sentencings are scheduled for this spring. They will also have to pay fines and restitution to their victims, but the timeline for that, and the amount, has not yet been determined — so it’s not clear when the harmed parties will see any of their money back, if ever (4).

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Construction fraud has become a national problem

The North Texas case is part of a troubling national pattern. According to data from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the construction industry ranks fourth among all sectors in median fraud losses, averaging $250,000 per case (5).

Those numbers are amplified by the growing complexity of construction financing and a post-pandemic boom in residential demand. That’s fertile ground for fraudsters.

According to the Inspection Support Network, Texas (which has about 9% of the country’s population) accounts for 12.4% of all home repair fraud cases nationwide, making it one of the most targeted states for contractor deception (6).

Experts warn that while technology and remote contracting have made home building easier, they’ve also made it easier for scammers to obscure their actions.

Spot the red flags before you sign a contract

While scams like the Judges’ are sophisticated, they’re not impossible to spot.

Consumer protection experts say red flags often appear early in the negotiation process. One of the most common warning signs is a low-ball estimate that significantly undercuts competitors.

When the Judges bid on contracting jobs, their rates were significantly below those charged by other professionals. While that must have been tempting to homeowners, it’s a sign that the contractor plans to cut corners and could demand more money mid-project, or abandon the job entirely.

Other red flags to watch for include requests for large cash deposits upfront, vague or missing written contracts, and resistance to independent inspections.

The Judges also practiced credential fraud, claiming professional certifications they never held. If you have any doubt, you as a consumer can independently verify licenses with the relevant professional licensing board in your state, rather than relying on a contractor’s self-presentation.

To guard against construction fraud, experts advise tying payments and progress on your project to tangible, verifiable milestones. According to an article in World Construction Today, homeowners should adopt milestone-based payment schedules, releasing funds only after specific work phases have been completed and inspected (7).

Additionally, homeowners should insist on lien waivers: legal documents that confirm subcontractors and suppliers have been paid (8). This measure could help prevent situations where a general contractor takes payment but fails to compensate workers — one of the central tactics in the Judge case.

Vigilance is the best defense

As Christopher and Raquelle Judge await sentencing, their victims continue to pick up the pieces.

Some are suing for damages while others are rebuilding from scratch. All of them are experiencing the painful recognition that even well-educated, cautious buyers can be deceived.

In the aftermath of a nearly $5-million swindle, these Texans have learned that the dream-home industry, while full of opportunity, remains rife with exploitation.

And while the courts can deliver justice after the fact, prevention remains the only true protection against turning a dream home into a long nightmare.

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Article Sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

New York Post (1); Judge DFW on YouTube (2); NBC (3); U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas (4); Mauldin & Jenkins (5); Inspection Support (6); World Construction Today (7); Built (8)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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Source: “AOL Money”