Texas Contractor Pleads Guilty in $4.8 Million Fraud Scheme

A Texas business owner, located in Fort Worth, pleaded guilty to federal charges after authorities say he and his wife defrauded dozens of North Texas customers out of nearly $5 million through unfinished custom home and remodeling projects.

According to court records, Christopher Judge pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, stemming from his role as a managing member of Judge DFW LLC, a Texas-based construction and design company.

Judge's wife and business partner, Raquelle Judge, previously pleaded guilty on December 17, 2025, to the same conspiracy charge.

From approximately August 2020 to January 2023, the defendants admitted to conspiring to defraud customers by offering custom architecture, construction, and interior design services that were never completed.

Prosecutors said the couple falsely represented that Christopher Judge was a licensed architect and lured customers with below-market bids for custom home construction and remodeling work.

After securing contracts, the defendants began projects and accepted multiple installment payments, but regularly failed to complete the work. In many cases, victims were left without finished homes. Court filings show that more than 40 victims across six counties in the Northern District of Texas were affected, involving at least 24 separate construction projects.

Investigators also determined that customer payments were combined in Judge DFW's operating account and frequently used to fund unrelated projects, rather than the homes for which the funds were provided.

The total loss amount associated with the scheme is estimated to be approximately $4.8 million.

Christopher Judge now faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and Raquelle Judge faces a maximum of 5 years, with both also facing potential fines, restitution orders, and terms of supervised release.