David Carl Griffin, 63, of Van Alsytne, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for felony Theft of Property and several counts of Misapplication of Trust Funds. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges in November of 2022 and was sentenced by Judge Jim Fallon of the 15th District Court following a sentencing hearing. Judge Fallon also sentenced the defendant to 10 years deferred probation on a 1st degree felony of Misapplication of Trust Funds exceeding $300,000.00 and ordered restitution to the victims.
In October of 2020, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a property owner who advised they had entered into a contract with and paid the defendant; however, a sub-contractor simply did some basic dirt work and the defendant never returned to complete the project. An investigator with the Sheriff’s Office began conducting an investigation and determined there were at least six other victims in Grayson County who had paid the defendant for work and they all suffered the same fate as the original complainant. In addition, the investigation revealed several more victims in Collin County. Many of the property owners ended up with sub-contractors who were never paid by the defendant and all the property owners spent significant sums of money satisfying the sub-contractors and having their construction projects completed by a different builder.
“Everyone understands that in business sometimes deals fall through and contracts are broken. However, in this case there was a clear pattern of criminal conduct. We also applied a unique aspect of the Texas Property Code which requires builders who enter into contracts and receive funds, to hold those funds in trust,” said First Assistant District Attorney Kerye Ashmore. District Attorney Brett Smith added, “We hope this sentence sends a message to builders and contractors, especially in light of the tremendous growth currently in Grayson County. If you take money from citizens and repeatedly fail to meet your commitments that may just be a crime.”
The case was prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Kerye Ashmore. DA Investigator Mike Ditto assisted in the case.