St. Louis, MO - Law enforcement authorities in Maries County on Friday (Sept. 29) arrested a Salem, Mo. man charged with home repair fraud by grand juries in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Dan Sanders faces 11 counts of unlawful merchandising practices contained in an indictment returned in June by the St. Louis County grand jury and two counts of unlawful merchandising practices contained in an indictment returned in May by the St. Louis City grand jury.

The indictments were handed down at the request of Attorney General Jay Nixon, whose office will prosecute the cases.

Nixon said his office received complaints from consumers in the city and county that Sanders took money for home repair services and either did not begin the work or provided substandard materials and work. Sanders allegedly worked under several business names, including Woodsmill Construction LLC, C&D Seamless Gutters, Smith Services and Unlimited Services. The complaints covered a period from 2003 to 2004.

The Attorney General's Office previous obtained a civil consent judgment against Sanders in July 1999, permanently prohibiting him from contracting with homeowners for home repair services but failing to do the promised work. The court ordered him to pay $9,982 in restitution, but he failed to pay any of it, Nixon said.

Sanders' bond on the charges from St. Louis County is $55,000; his bond on the charges from St. Louis City is $26,000.

Unlawful merchandising practices is a class D felony under Missouri law, punishable by up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The charges against Sanders are merely allegations; as in all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.