Home Repair Fraudster Scammed Niles Resident: Police

NILES, IL — A suspected serial home repair fraudster is facing fresh charges in Cook County after authorities said he took money from a Niles resident and failed to complete the work he had been contracted to do.

Ed Kavanaugh, 52, of the 600 block of Washington Street, Elmhurst, accepted a $3,200 down payment to do work on a Niles home in June 2020. He was using a fake name at the time, according to Niles police.

"Minimal work was done," police said, "which actually caused damage to the victim's home." Kavanaugh never finished the job and refused to provide a refund.

Prosecutors filed five felony counts against Kavanaugh last week, including one count of home repair fraud, two counts of acts of deception in home repair fraud and two counts of using a false name in home repair fraud.

---

Kavanaugh has been the subject of numerous complaints from across the Chicago suburbs, according to authorities. The Illinois Attorney General's Office assisted in the investigation into his operations.

RELATED: Lawsuit Accuses Ed Kavanaugh Of Home Repair Fraud

Last June, a lawsuit in DuPage County accused Kavanaugh of scamming a Hinsdale couple out of $10,000 over work on the driveway. Kavanaugh denied the allegations, making a series of unsubstantiated claims in interviews.

In October, the Will County Sheriff's Office announced charges of home repair fraud, continuing financial crimes enterprise, money laundering and theft by deception against Kavanaugh.

Kavanaugh was processed on the Niles charges Thursday at the Maywood courthouse, where he was taken for a bond hearing on a separate incident. He remained in custody at Will County Jail on the earlier charges.