Breaux Bridge, Louisiana Man Sentenced to 18-Year Prison Term for Contractor Fraud

A Breaux Bridge, Louisiana man pled guilty in a Lafourche Parish courtroom yesterday on charges of contractor fraud and will now spend several years in prison.

According to the district attorney's office, 45-year-old Clarke Lee performed unlicensed contracting on homes damaged by Hurricane Ida.

(As you may recall, Hurricane Ida hit in 2021 and became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to hit the state behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005.)

The D.A.'s office said that Lee's work was labeled incomplete and of poor quality, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to victims' homes.

“He took something that is not easily replaced. A person’s home is their castle, and the defendant took advantage of the devastation left by Hurricane Ida to make money off the pain of others,” said Assistant District Attorney Greg Stahlnecker.

Lee pled guilty to four counts of residential contractor fraud of $25,000 or more. As a result, he will be serving an 18-year prison sentence and was required by the judge to pay $711,000 in restitution.

The maximum sentence allowed by Louisiana law in this case is 20 years.

“I hope the families can get their homes restored to pre-Ida condition, and move on with their lives knowing the defendant will be in prison for what he did,” said Stahlnecker.

Officials say that if you live in Lafourche Parish and would like to speak to someone about potential contractor fraud, you can call 985-447-2003 and ask to speak to Assistant District Attorney Greg Stahlnecker.