SEATTLE — A Kirkland man facing up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced that 58-year-old Joseph D. Bergevin of Kirkland pleaded guilty to wire fraud after being arrested for forging subcontractor invoices and stealing over $3.5 million from customers.
According to the plea agreement, Bergevin was hired as a general contractor for home remodeling projects and falsified hundreds of subcontractor invoices to charge customers for work done, future work or to falsely lock in lower rates for building materials.
Bergevin oversaw paying subcontractors for work completed but instead “Bergevin used the names, logos, and other identifying information about the subcontractors to create the false invoices,” Gorman said.
The fraud occurred between 2016 and 2019 and affected 24 different customers.
Bergevin will have to pay back over $3.5 million in restitution as part of the agreement.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 7.