An Acadiana man is wanted for home improvement fraud.
The Criminal Investigation Division of Church Point Police Department is the agency that received a complaint about contractor fraud.
According to Church Point Police, 42-year-old Milan M. Gala, is wanted for accepting money to build a fence and never did.
Gala is operating as Acadiana A1 Fence Company.
His warrant is for $50,000 out of District Court in Crowley.
Gala also has outstanding warrants throughout other parishes.
On April 11th, Church Point Police were contacted by a resident saying that they gave Gala $2,500. He then ordered supplies and four months passed by, and they haven’t heard from him since.
Church Point Police Chief Dale Thibodeaux said, “We investigated it and sure enough that’s when we started finding out that he’s done this before and several other towns and several other parishes, so we gathered our case together attempted to make contact with him was unable to.”
Church Point Police say Gala accepted money from a resident to build a fence, but the fence was never built.
“From what we’re understanding, the business is not legitimate,” added Chief Thibodeaux.
Chief Thibodeaux says Gala has been to court in Acadia Parish for contractor fraud before.
News Ten asked, “Is there a chance for the people that did get scammed for them to get their money back?”
Chief Thibodeaux answered, “Yes, and that’s what I’m going to try to do. I’m going to try to make sure that the DA’s office and everything if we can get them an exact amount of what had been taken see if maybe we can demand some restitution.”
Better Business Bureau Serving Acadiana President/CEO Sharane Gott, said, “You want to make sure that you take care of your money and your home in a good way.”
According to the Better Business Bureau, here are suggestions you should know when it comes to hiring a contractor:
- Research their track record.
- Ask for multiple quotes.
- Get it in writing.
- Verify their license and insurance.
