ST. LOUIS - The State of Missouri has never heard of him. Neither have the City of Ferguson and long-time business owners in Ferguson.
But William Cheatham has been asking anyone who will listen for money to save his business struggling after the unrest.
Cheatham's GoFundMe site is asking for $5,000 to relocate his family-owned construction company. He's raised $800 so far, but there are some important facts Five on Your Side found out he's leaving out of his pitch.
The site pulls out all the stops-- a Ferguson business "shut down" because of the "rioting, looting and acts of civil disobedience." Other entries on the site say, "donations needed immediately" and "it's time for my fellow Americans to step up."
The plea got the attention of other Ferguson business owners.
Jim Knowles, of Knowles Heating and Cooling, Daniel Cowin of Cowin Construction and Dave Walters, a plumber, all claim they've never heard of William Cheatham or his business, Absolute Home Remodeling and Maintenance. Combined, the three business owners have nearly 90 years working experience in Ferguson.
"We all pretty much know each other," said Cowin.
"As I asked around, nobody's really heard of him being a contractor in town," said Walters.
Turns out neither has the state or the City of Ferguson. Five on Your Side could not find the required licensing for Cheatham's company. And unlike the unmistakable loss other businesses suffered, the business Cheatham wants to relocate is based at a home in Ferguson.
"He wanted money for a new house somewhere else, I guess. It's kind of how I took it," laughed Cowin.
Five on Your Side's Mike Rush found Cheatham at the home.
"I don't understand really what this is about," said Cheatham.
He admits he's not licensed, although he says he was working on it. Cheatham says he was not yet open at the time of the unrest, even though he wrote on his fundraising site the company has "proudly been serving our community & the residents of Ferguson & surrounding communities."
"So, then what are you trying to relocate if there's nothing to relocate?" asked Rush.
"The company was open. I was out seeking work," claimed Cheatham.
Ferguson business owners worry others may be trying to take advantage of their misfortune.
"I believe there are several others doing the same thing. Just trying to jump on the bandwagon, trying to make a quick dollar," said Walters.
"There's a lot of people that really were impacted that won't even ask," said Knowles.
While GoFundMe sites can be effective, the Better Business Bureau warns-- do your research.
"You need to know how the money's going to be used and you need to make a decision about whether that money is going to be used effectively," said Chris Thetford.
Cheatham claims he doesn't believe he's taking advantage of the situation in Ferguson.
"It was started. I was in the process of starting one job when all this happened and then the people canceled the job because they did not want anything to do with Ferguson," he said.
While Cheatham claimed people didn't want to hire him because he was based in Ferguson, the other business owners say they actually got more work because people wanted to help.
If you are interested in donating to Ferguson businesses, here are a few options with safeguards in place to ensure the money you donate is going to legitimate businesses with the need:
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