Excerpts from CBSChicago.com:
… Rochelle Callaghan’s home burned after a power line fell on her deck and ignited a propane tank in 2014. She says fire restoration and board up companies lined her street hoping to get her business, but one man stood out.
“He came up to me and said, ‘My name is Tom Brown. I’m a Chicago fireman. I can help you out in this situation,’” said Callaghan.
She hired Brown and says he signed her repair contract claiming to own fire restoration business Pleasant Hill Construction, Inc. She later figured out Brown does not own Pleasant Hill Construction, Inc. A company lawyer says he does sales for them.
She says Brown and the company collected $63,000 of fire insurance money before she fired them for numerous alleged building code shortcuts and shoddy work.
“He absolutely used his position as a fireman to gain my trust,” said Callaghan.
[Tom Brown] is under investigation by the Chicago Fire Department’s Internal Affairs Division for allegedly soliciting fire victims.
She says she reported to the Chicago Fire Department’s internal affairs that Brown and the crew failed to pull the proper permits for the repairs. Outlets were missing wires and other problems led a different electrician to tell her it was not up to code.
Callaghan says she fired Brown and his company and used her life savings to make repairs.
“My kids’ college money, my 401K, every savings, loans from my mother, from family – everything’s gone,” said Callaghan.
A Pleasant Hill attorney says Callaghan’s shoddy work allegations are untrue. They are suing her for breach of contract, defamation, and filed a lien against her home.
Callaghan says she is countersuing for fraud and all she lost.
