Texas Contractor Guilty Of Duping Katrina Victims

The New Orleans Advocate reports 64-year-old Malachi Crump was found guilty Monday of three counts of felony theft — one each for the three families he swindled.

Crump, on parole and never licensed in Louisiana, owned Chimere's Builders. He signed contracts with three elderly women promising to completely renovate their homes. They gave him thousands in down payments and some wrote additional checks for supplies. Authorities say he did some work at some houses and nothing at others. When the homeowners began asking questions, he disappeared.

State District Judge Frank Marullo will sentence Crump next month. He faces up to five years on each count.