Brothers charged after FBI uncovers $435k fraud

Two brothers have been charged in a US court with conspiracy to commit wire fraud following an FBI investigation.

Patrick McDonagh and Matthew McDonagh, who are understood to be from Irvinestown in County Fermanagh, external, are accused of defrauding $435,000 (£335,000) from a Shoreline, Washington, pensioner.

The men were arrested by US Customs and Border Protection in mid-June and have been held at an immigration detention center.

“According to the criminal complaint, the pair was part of a group that travelled the country allegedly scamming homeowners – especially the elderly – by falsely representing the home needed an urgent repair,” the US Attorney’s Office said., external

The men are alleged to have first approached the victim in January 2024 and claimed they were working in the neighbourhood and had noticed a hole in the pensioner’s roof.

The men offered to fix the hole and remove moss from the roof, the complaint continued, and, over the course of a few days, are said to have pressured the homeowner to write cheques for their services.

The men are also alleged to have claimed the property’s foundation was cracked and they said they would repair that with a titanium rod system.

“The roof had no hole, and the foundation was not failing. However, the men dug trenches and poured some concrete to make it appear work was done, and each day they pressured the victim to write more cheques,” the Attorney's Office added.

“They even demanded an extra $20,000 (£15,400) for ‘taxes’.

“Ultimately, they demanded the victim wire $200,000 (£154,000) to a third party for building supplies – again far in excess of any work they claimed to have done. In all the brothers stole $435,000 from the victim.”

“This type of fraud on our elderly neighbors is heartbreaking,” said US Attorney Tessa M Gorman.

“To pose as someone trying to help them, while all the while the goal is to steal as much as they can from the victim’s hard-earned retirement funds. It is a special kind of cruelty to engage in such conduct.”

An FBI investigation connected the brothers to contractor fraud complaints in Washington County, Oregon and Spokane, Washington, totalling about $50,000 (£38,500).

In those cases, they are said to have presented fake photos of holes in the homeowner’s roof, alleged problems with the house’s foundation or posed as local-reputable businesses.

“Sadly, seniors are often an attractive target for fraudsters attempting to steal a lifetime of savings, and scammers are skilled at deceiving people," said Richard A Collodi from the FBI Seattle field office.

The pair appeared in court in Seattle on 12 July, where prosecutors filed a motion requesting their detention, citing a flight risk and lack of legal status in the US, according to the Impartial Reporter., external

If convicted, the brothers could face up to 20 years in prison.

BBC News NI has asked the US Department of Justice for comment.