Concrete contractor facing lawsuits for allegedly scamming people out of thousands
A Missouri concrete contractor has been working under the radar for years and taking on new jobs despite a trail of lawsuits
By Susan El Khoury
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — A Missouri concrete contractor has been working under the radar for years and taking on new jobs despite a trail of lawsuits, a police investigation, and court orders to pay back tens of thousands of dollars.
Dan Carbone is based out of Franklin County. He’s been known to operate under two business names, Concrete Impressions and All Pro Concrete. Carbone is accused of taking deposits, sometimes starting jobs, then disappearing. Neither of Carbone’s businesses are registered with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office as required by law.
News 4 Investigates found Carbone may have cashed in on more than $100,000, and that’s only from a handful of homeowners.
News 4 Investigates reached out to Carbone multiple times. He declined an interview and stated that he was contacting his lawyer.
Mary Shabansky wants answers from Carbone after she hired him to work on her backyard and driveway.
In September 2022 Shabansky signed a contract with Carbone, who she says was referred to her. According to the contract, Shabansky would pay Carbone $36,270 to work on a retaining wall, stairs, patio and driveway. The contract stipulated Carbone would receive an $18,000 deposit and daily payments of $2,000 once the work started.
“Not one drop of concrete has been laid anywhere,” Shabansky said while standing in her backyard. “I’ll be paying for this for years to come trying to make up for this money.”
Shabansky says once Carbone started, they agreed to more work and cost. All of her checks plus the receipts from Carbone add up to $42,804.
She claims Carbone stopped showing up and told her he needed more money for supplies. She also says Carbone left her with a mess in her backyard including half-finished walls, exposed wires, trash he was supposed to haul off, and a yard that’s mainly mud.
“I borrowed against my retirement, I worked a lot of overtime to get that money,” Shabansky said.
She isn’t the only one with concerns.
Carbone signed onto another backyard project In South County in November. The contract for that work stipulated a $4,000 deposit which the homeowner paid. But he says he hasn’t seen Carbone since.
“He just didn’t do anything,” explained the homeowner, who asked not to be named.
The homeowner showed News 4 Investigates how when he tries to call Carbone now, his calls don’t go through.
“Goes straight to voicemail, my number’s blocked,” the homeowner said after trying to call Carbone.
When News 4 Investigates called Carbone, the first one went through, but the rest went straight to voicemail.
News 4 Investigates went to Carbone’s Franklin County home to ask about the contracts that homeowners say he didn’t fulfill.
When asked if he could talk about what is happening with Mary Shabansky’s project, Carbone stated, “I’m calling my lawyer.”
Carbone would not answer any questions from a reporter.
News 4 Investigates found a long list of court records tied to Carbone. Multiple customers sued Carbone saying he scammed them. There are judgments against Carbone ordering him to pay back around $60,000, and that doesn’t count the two cases that are still pending.
Court records show Carbone is also facing a felony for passing a bad check to a concrete supplier.
News 4 tried to find Carbone’s lawyer. Court records show several. News 4 reached out to all of them. At least two have retired, and the others have not called back.
“I don’t understand how he hasn’t been stopped yet,” Mary Shabansky said.
Shabansky believes the state needs to step in to help protect customers like her.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is reviewing complaints about Carbone, and St. Louis County Police are investigating him.
“It’s ridiculous, him stealing money from everybody and everybody being affected except for him,” Shabansky added.
Shabansky says one of her concerns is Carbone’s two businesses’ names. When Shabansky hired Carbone, only one, Concrete Impressions, had complaints with the Better Business Bureau. That is not the name Carbone gave Shabansky. Their contract goes by All Pro Concrete.
The Better Business Bureau has since put out a warning about Carbone and given his business its lowest rating of F.
As a reminder when you hire a contractor, there are ways to help protect yourself. The Better Business Bureau recommends the following:
– Get it in writing. Sign a contract that includes all the work being done, a timeline, and what happens if that isn’t met.
– Pay by credit card. Credit cards can let you challenge a payment if needed.
– Don’t pay for the whole job upfront.
Another important step is checking court records. You can get some online, but most require a trip to the courthouse.
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