Breaux Bridge man faces 18-year prison term for contractor fraud

Posted: Nov 9, 2023 / 02:07 PM CST

Updated: Nov 9, 2023 / 02:25 PM CST

LAFOURCHE PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A Breaux Bridge man pled guilty in a Lafourche Parish courtroom to charges of contractor fraud on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

According to the district attorney’s office, 45-year-old Clarke Lee performed unlicensed contracting on homes that were damaged by Hurricane Ida.

Lee pled guilty to four counts of residential contractor fraud of $25,000 or more. He is set to serve an 18-year prison sentence and is required to pay a restitution of $711,000.

“He took something that is not easily replaced. A person’s home is their castle, and the defendant took advantage of the devastation left by Hurricane Ida to make money off the pain of others,” said Assistant District Attorney Greg Stahlnecker.

His work was labeled as being incomplete and of poor quality and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to victims’ houses.

“I hope the families can get their homes restored to pre-Ida condition, and move on with their lives knowing the defendant will be in prison for what he did,” said Stahlnecker.