Roofing contractor charged with theft after hail damage

The owner of Midwest Roofing Corp., Daniel Steiner of Appleton, has been charged with multiple felony counts of theft spanning three counties alleging he took thousands of dollars in payments to repair hail damage to homes but never completed the work.

Steiner also is accused of leaving some consumers with unpaid bills to cover materials for the repairs and hire new contractors to do the work.

According to three criminal complaints released by the Wisconsin Department of Justice on Tuesday:

A second consumer had filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in July 2012. He complained that he had signed a contract for more than $16,000 with an office manager at Midwest Roofing to repair the hail-damaged roof of his Middleton home in the spring of 2011. The consumer gave the office manager $7,000 up front. Steiner later claimed that the office manager had misappropriated the money so the consumer took pity and gave Steiner another $7,000. That consumer, too, later received a letter from the supply company threatening a lien on his property for unpaid materials. He said he had to pay $2,000 to the supply company to avoid the lien. He never heard from Steiner again.

When interviewed by investigators at the end of January 2013, Steiner said Midwest Roofing went bankrupt. The company is no longer in business.

"The defendant described his situation as one of 'cash flow,'" one complaint states. "The defendant stated that he would use funds from one client's project to 'do the next person's job.' The defendant stated that his hands were tied if a client did not pay. The defendant stated that when money came in from one job, he would use the money to keep different jobs going."

Steiner, 39, has been charged with two counts of theft by a contractor in Dane County, each punishable by $10,000 in fines and six years in prison. He's also charged with one felony count of theft in Brown County, carrying a penalty of up to $10,000 and up to 3.5 years in prison, and one count of felony theft in Outagamie County that could lead to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.

The complaint was referred to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Unit by the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau.

The BBB in Wisconsin recommends that consumers check the company's record with the Better Business Bureau before choosing a contractor. Each company's file includes details of complaints against it.

Wisconsin consumers who have a problem with a contractor can file a complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection online, by emailing datcphotline@wisconsin.gov or by phone at (800) 422-7128.

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Roofing contractor charged with theft after hail damage