Irish and U.K. Nationals Arrested in Multi-State Construction Fraud Scheme

Matthew Podolsky, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, announced today the unsealing of a Complaint in Manhattan federal court against JAMES DINNIGAN, also known as “Charlie Ward,” and MARTIN MAUGHAN, also known as “Lawrence Rogers.” The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a multi-year, multi-state construction fraud scheme that defrauded at least 24 victims, including many elderly and vulnerable homeowners. MAUGHAN was transferred from state custody to federal authorities and is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Robyn Tarnofsky. DINNIGAN is currently in federal immigration custody and will be transferred to the Southern District of New York.

“Today’s charges should serve as a reminder that this Office and its law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who seek to enrich themselves by victimizing vulnerable members of our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky.

FBI Assistant Director Backschies added, “James Dinnigan and Martin Maughan allegedly enticed prospective consumers with illegitimate home improvement advertisements before intentionally destroying their property to extort additional costs. These illegal foreign nationals allegedly laid the foundation to prey upon a vulnerable population across the northeast, ultimately stealing a significant sum from elderly victims.”

According to the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, DINNIGAN and MAUGHAN participated in a construction fraud scheme between October 2023 and February 2025, involving dozens of victims across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and several other states. The perpetrators, who were often foreign nationals illegally in the U.S., posed as legitimate contractors to gain victims' trust. They manipulated homeowners into paying for unnecessary repairs by damaging or destroying their property. Victims, including elderly individuals, were often coerced into paying large sums of money through threats.

The scheme involved perpetrators using cellphones, emails, and fraudulent websites under the names of at least two fictitious companies—Local Masonry and Construction and Pine Valley Home Improvements, Inc.—to lure victims. The FBI has identified more than two dozen victims who lost at least $1 million in total due to this fraudulent operation.

DINNIGAN entered the U.S. in April 2023 using a tourist visa but failed to depart the country as required. He was encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Champlain, New York, in February 2025. Meanwhile, MAUGHAN had been ordered removed from the U.S. in October 2023 but was arrested on February 7, 2025, at Boston Logan International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Dublin, Ireland.

If anyone has additional information about this scheme or believes they have been a victim, the FBI urges them to contact tips.fbi.gov.

DINNIGAN, 27, and MAUGHAN, 31, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s New York and Philadelphia field offices with assistance from various law enforcement agencies, and is being prosecuted by the Violent and Organized Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges in the Complaint are accusations only, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

originally reported by U.S. Attorney"s Office, Southern District of New York.