A Montana man who cheated a Cedar Rapids derecho victim out of more than $10,000 in insurance proceeds has pleaded guilty to mail fraud.
William Allen Hurlbut, Jr., 57, from Belgrade, Montana, was convicted of one count of mail fraud in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
The derecho was a severe windstorm that swept through Cedar Rapids on August 10, 2020. The derecho caused widespread damage and long-term power outages. In Cedar Rapids alone, over 1,000 housing units were rendered unlivable, while hundreds of additional homes and businesses suffered damage.
At the plea hearing, and in a plea agreement, Hurlbut admitted that he came to Iowa after the derecho, professing to be a handyman and doing business as “Trinity 321.” Hurlbut lacked a required contractor license but obtained a cell phone number with a local area code 319 to conduct business. Hurlbut has a prior federal felony conviction in Idaho for destruction of government property.
In September 2020, Hurlbut promised his victim, a Cedar Rapids resident, that Hurlbut would fix damage to the victim’s residence as soon as possible if the victim advanced funds to Hurlbut for that purpose. The derecho had caused more than $10,000 worth of damage to the victim’s residence, including damage to the roof and the siding, fences, and the interior of the home. Hurlbut’s victim was using a wheelchair on account of physical disabilities.
Instead of repairing the derecho damage to the victim’s residence, Hurlbut spent insurance funds advanced to Hurlbut for the repair costs on gambling and personal items and expenses. Hurlbut made false statements to his victim about the status of the project and also made purchases at a home improvement store on the false pretense that he was buying materials to complete the project. Hurlbut would then return the items for a cash refund, which Hurlbut then used for his own purposes. The investigation revealed that, over a two-week period in October 2020, Hurlbut spent at least $22,532.50 gambling at an Iowa casino.
On January 25, 2021, Hurlburt had a tow truck tow the victim’s vehicle from the victim’s backyard to a junkyard without purchasing it from the victim or getting his permission. In February, Hurlbut convinced his victim to loan him $1,000 for lodging and food, which Hurlbut never repaid. Through March 2021, Hurlbut performed little to no work on the project despite the fact that the victim had advanced more than $10,000 to Hurlbut for the repairs.
Related Federal Cases
- Ronald David Dean, $39M Medicare Fraud, Montana 2024 · Idaho
- Nurse Practitioners, Health Care Fraud, Idaho 2024 · Idaho
- David Emerson Smith, Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, Iowa 2023 · Idaho
- Cory Allen Snyder, Mail Theft, Bank Fraud, Identity Theft, Colorado 2021 · Idaho
- David Gomez Convicted of Mail Fraud, Los Angeles CA, 2023 · Utah
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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