Kirkland, Washington, contractor sentenced to prison for defrauding more than two dozen customers

Press Release

Stole approximately $4 million using phony invoices for subcontractor work

Seattle - A 59-year-old Kirkland, Washington, home remodeling contractor was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to four years in prison for wire fraud for his scheme to steal approximately $4 million from customers using fake invoices, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Joseph D. Bergevin pleaded guilty in July 2024, admitting that he forged invoices to steal money from at least 24 customers who had hired him for their remodeling projects. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead spoke of the victims saying, "You stole their futures, you stole their hope, you stole their momentum for success… you created the kind of stress that you can't run from, the stress that wakes you up at night. It was not just one lapse in judgement, it was hundreds of lapses over the years."

"This defendant stole from friends, members of his church, the elderly, and people in his children's school community," said U.S. Attorney Gorman. "The betrayal of those who trusted him deserves a significant sentence. Sadly, the dozens of victims of his deceit can never replace the time lost, and the anguish suffered from his illegal actions."

According to the plea agreement, between 2016 and 2019, Bergevin served as the general contractor on a number of home remodeling projects. As the general contractor, Bergevin was responsible for arranging for subcontractors to work on the project and making sure they got paid. However, during the wire fraud scheme, Bergevin presented his customers with hundreds of forged subcontractor invoices. Bergevin used the names, logos, and other identifying information about the subcontractors to create the false invoices. He then sent them to the customers for payment. Bergevin falsely told the customer that the invoice was for work that had been done or would be done. In some instances, he claimed that by paying "up front," the customer could lock in lower rates for building materials when the work was done.

Many of the victims submitted heartrending impact statements. One wrote: "The amount of money Bergevin stole from us is nearly unthinkable. He stole more than an entire year's salary from me. [Bergevin] not only stole our entire life savings but induced us to borrow money and take on credit card debt in order to keep our build going. He literally took from us more than all of the money we had."

And another, "[Bergevin] stole five years of our lives and showed no remorse While he raised his daughters happily, built his dream house, purchased luxury cars and boats, and actively participated in his church and community, these are the very experiences he robbed from us."

Other victims spoke in court today about how Bergevin's crime robbed them of time, money, and trust in others. Another spoke of how his theft decimated her children's college funds, damaging their future. A third recounted how Bergevin exploited their desperation to get their house finished, all the while taking their money to finish his own luxury home and buy himself a boat.

At the time of the plea, the false invoices totaled $3,554,054 and went to twenty-four different customers. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bergevin is responsible for at least $3,554,054 in restitution. Today the parties agreed that the total restitution should be approximately $4 million for all the losses caused by the criminal conduct in this scheme. Judge Whitehead ordered the full restitution.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Kirkland Police Department, and King County Sheriff's Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Dion and Yunah Chung.

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Updated November 7, 2024