ST. LOUIS — A former Ferguson police officer is now a wanted man.
Contractor Mike Shaw is accused of swindling St. Louis homeowners out of thousands of dollars after winning their trust by claiming to be a former Ferguson police chief.
For many of us, the pandemic meant spending a lot of time at home and in some cases, taking on home improvement projects.
In the spring of 2020, Dan Endres of Hazelwood thought he found the perfect contractor for his home renovation.
“[Shaw] did use that sales pitch to kind of reel people in. Because, ‘Oh, you're a policeman? [Then] I trust you 100 percent,” said Endres.
Several homeowners have told the I-Team the same story.
They hired Mike Shaw with Guardian Contracting LLC, in part, because he claimed to be a former Ferguson police chief.
The I-Team confirmed Shaw was an officer in Ferguson about 20 to 30 years ago, but never police chief.
“We put half a deposit down, which was $7,784 and he promised to come back two days about three days later,” said Endres. “Then he never came back.”
Charges filed by the Missouri Attorney General's office allege Shaw defrauded homeowners across the region out of thousands of dollars.
“The last count was 13 or 14 different people,” said Endres, who is in touch with many of the other alleged victims.
Shaw is facing 12 charges of deceptive businesses practices and financial exploitation of an elderly person in St. Louis County and St Charles County.
Each count tells a similar story.
Charging documents allege Shaw accepted contracting jobs but never finished the work. He continued taking on clients even after he was contacted by investigators with the attorney general’s office.
The criminal charges come after years of civil lawsuits related to unfinished work performed under at least four different company names, according to court documents.
Some of those company names include Guardian Contracting LLC, Armor Restorations, MS General Contracting, Gencraft Construction LLC.
Endres hope Shaw’s days of doing business are finally done.
“It's just a matter of time until hopefully, everything will come to a head. Hopefully, we'll all get justice,” said Endres.
Police are looking for Shaw. Two arrest warrants have been issued in St Louis County and St Charles County. His bond in St. Charles county is set at $50,000 cash only.
At last check, he has not yet been taken into custody. Shaw has not responded to our latest request for comment.