OHIO MAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS FOR $1.9 MILLION CONSTRUCTION FRAUD SCHEME

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — An Ohio man who posed as a licensed general contractor, secured construction work across multiple states, used other companies’ licensing credentials, forged documents, and diverted project funds for his own benefit has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison.

Matthew Paul Taylor, also known as Matt Wolfe, 49, of Fairborn, Ohio, was sentenced for wire fraud tied to a construction scheme that operated from January 2020 through February 2023. Federal prosecutors said Taylor created business entities in dozens of states and used them primarily in the construction industry while falsely presenting himself as a licensed general contractor.

Taylor successfully bid on commercial construction projects in several states despite lacking the required contractor licensing.

According to court documents, he concealed that fact by fraudulently using the licensing credentials of legitimate businesses.

The scheme went further than false licensing claims.

Federal prosecutors said Taylor forged notary stamps, produced fabricated certificates, created false lien waivers, and made other false representations in order to secure payments connected to construction projects.

Those documents could make it appear that contractual, licensing, or payment requirements had been properly satisfied when prosecutors said they had not.

Taylor also used what investigators described as lulling payments.

In fraud investigations, lulling conduct is designed to prevent victims from realizing that money has been diverted or obligations are not being met.

According to prosecutors, Taylor sometimes made limited payments to subcontractors or provided false explanations for why they had not been paid, including claims that he had not yet received money himself.

Federal investigators said those explanations were false.

Taylor had received project funds but diverted portions of the money for his own personal benefit rather than using the funds as represented.

He also made false statements to regulators in an effort to conceal the fraud.

The conduct created losses across multiple construction projects and eventually resulted in a federal restitution order totaling $1,936,882.22.

That restitution figure represents the financial damage attributed to the scheme and is separate from Taylor’s eight-year prison sentence.

Construction fraud can be particularly damaging because projects often involve several financial relationships at once.

A property owner or developer may pay a general contractor, who is then expected to pay subcontractors, material suppliers, equipment providers, and other vendors.

When a contractor misrepresents licensing status or diverts project funds, the losses can move through the entire payment chain.

Subcontractors may complete work without being paid. Suppliers can be left with unpaid invoices. Owners may face liens or unfinished work despite already paying substantial sums toward the project.

False lien waivers can create another layer of risk because those documents are commonly used to represent that contractors or subcontractors have been paid and have waived certain rights to file liens against property.

A fraudulent waiver can give owners, lenders, or other parties a false picture of whether money owed on a project has actually been paid.

Taylor’s use of another business’s contractor credentials also allowed him to present a false appearance of regulatory compliance while bidding on work in jurisdictions where licensing requirements were designed to verify that contractors met applicable standards.

Federal prosecutors said Taylor incorporated or formed business entities in dozens of states, giving the scheme a broad geographic footprint.

The creation of multiple entities can also make financial tracing more difficult when money is routed through different business accounts, project names, or corporate structures.

The government’s case established that Taylor’s conduct was not simply a licensing violation.

The fraud involved false representations made to obtain money, forged documents, misuse of other businesses’ credentials, diversion of construction funds, and efforts to conceal what was occurring from subcontractors and regulators.

Taylor was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office handles federal criminal matters arising across Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Tidewater, and surrounding communities.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos and FBI Norfolk Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans announced the sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mack Coleman and Brian J. Samuels prosecuted the case.

The FBI investigated the matter.

The case was filed under United States v. Taylor, Case No. 4:25-cr-35, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Taylor’s eight-year sentence includes a substantial prison term and nearly $1.94 million in court-ordered restitution.

The case also illustrates why construction fraud can extend well beyond an individual contract dispute.

When licensing credentials are falsified, payment documents are fabricated, subcontractors are misled, and project funds are diverted, what appears on the surface to be a business disagreement can become a federal wire-fraud case involving multiple victims, multiple states, and millions of dollars in losses.

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