We first warned our viewers about Juan Rodriguez back in 2017. Now, eight years later, we finally have a conclusion.
Juan Rodriguez has been sentenced after pleading guilty to 13 counts of home improvement fraud and 11 counts of theft by deception.
Dale Schmid, of South Philadelphia, told the Troubleshooters, "The fact that it's finally closed is a huge relief."
Rodriguez was sentenced to one year of jail time with immediate parole, plus nine years of probation during which time he must pay back his victims.
"Hopefully, that'll be an incentive for him to be able to comply with that. Otherwise, if he willfully stops making those payments, then he can face incarceration," said Schmid.
Two of Rodriguez's victims have now passed, but Rodriguez must pay back the 12 remaining victims $700 a month until all have received their court-ordered restitution. That amount for Schmid is $77,000.
Schmid says he's received $40,000 so far and "at one point I didn't think I was gonna ever see any of this again."
Over the past eight years, the Troubleshooters interviewed many of Rodriguez's customers, who banded together to talk to us and go to law enforcement.
They had very similar stories, which helped law enforcement figure out that there was a pattern.
"There is power in numbers," Schmid noted. "Without the persistence and the pursuit of the Troubleshooters, I don't think this case would ever have come to a conclusion like this."
Another condition of Rodriguez's probation is that he is prohibited from private contracting work moving forward.
The district attorney's office tells Action News that so far, he has paid $94,000 in restitution to his victims.
Former customer Charlotte Conway says she has now received all of her money back.