BRISTOL - David Conrad, 42, of Bristol, Vermont, was arrested on Wednesday after being charged with wire fraud between January 2022 and February 2023.
Conrad, who operated a custom woodworking business called Old Camp Woodworking and Vermont Custom Designs, will be arraigned this afternoon before US Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.
According to court documents, Conrad advertised his company on Facebook and had independent websites where customers could place orders for custom wood products.
However, some of these sites were borrowed from other woodworking sites, and some of the photos on the sites were not original photos of Conrad's custom parts, but rather copies of photos from other locations on the site.
Between January 2022 and February 2023, Conrad accepted approximately $165,500 in various payment methods for more than 100 different items ordered by customers in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire.
As part of the fraudulent scheme, Conrad accepted payment for goods it knew it could not deliver within the 12 to 16 week period it gave customers.
Conrad has made numerous false statements to customers about the status of their orders and why the orders were not being filled.
Konrad used his strict refund policy as a reason to withhold customers' funds even though he hadn't started processing their orders yet.
It is alleged that he used the money received from customers to pay personal expenses for himself and his family, knowing that he would not be able to pay the expenses incurred by the customer from whom the money was received to complete the carpentry he has commissioned, do not complete.
The grand jury indictment alleges five specific fraudulent transactions involving interstate wire transfers.
The US Attorney's Office notes that the indictment contains only allegations and that Conrad remains innocent until convicted of a crime.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus restitution for the victims in both cases. The actual penalty will be determined in accordance with the United States Penal Code.
