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CSLB Press Release - 12/17/2003

Traveler Contractor To Be Sentenced May Include Prison And Restitution To Victims


HAYWARD — A California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) investigation that spans more than two years will culminate in the sentencing of a Traveler contractor who pleaded no contest to 88 felony counts in September. The felony charges include residential burglary, elder theft, and conspiracy.

William MacMillan Donohue will be sentenced on Thursday, December 18, 2003, at 9:05 a.m. in Alameda County Superior Court, 24405 Amador Street, Department 513, Hayward. The plea was conditioned on an agreement that Donohue receive a three-year state prison sentence and pay restitution in the amount of $157,181 to his victims.

Donohue victimized homeowners in Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Solano, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Yolo, Stanislaus, Riverside, and Alameda Counties.

A Traveler is a transient home repair contractor who perpetrates scams and commits fraud, often against elderly homeowners. Travelers-often members of extended families-move from town to town scamming consumers. They typically knock on a business or homeowner's door and offer to perform work with materials they claim are left over from another job. After a deal is struck the Travelers perform substandard, useless, or sometimes destructive work. They quickly move on, often before the homeowners know they've been defrauded, and are difficult to find.

The Contractors State License Board, which operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, licenses and regulates the 278,000 building contractors in the state. The CSLB investigates approximately 25,000 complaints against contractors every year.

Note to Editors: A CSLB Investigator who worked on this case will be available for interviews after the sentencing on December 18. Please contact Tracey Weatherby at (916) 255-4161.