'You're a scumbag dude': Oakland County bad builder heading to jail
NOVI, Mich. (FOX 2) - Look who's going to jail. It's Temo Sessions? Man, it's been rough for Temo. Last week in the Hall of Shame, this week in the slammer.
And in between, a bunch of new unhappy customers are telling me their stories of Temo ripping them off.
Rob: "This is your retirement money and you can't afford to lose that."
Charles: "No we can't."
Hisham: "He has not delivered any material whatsoever."
Sylvester: "Out of all the guys in Michigan in the state of Michigan, I found the biggest scumbag of them all. That's kinda crazy, right?"
Last week I introduced you to Temo. His real name is Artemio Sessions. Temo runs a company called Garages'R'Us. Temo talked a bunch of people into signing contracts with his company.
People like Judith, a single mom who hired him after her garage burned down. Temo talked her out of $10,000 to rebuild her garage. But instead he took her money, knocked down the debris from her old garage and left it piled in her yard -- the same yard her five kids have to play in.
"He took my money and now I don't have money to rebuild another garage," she said.
You met Robert, a disabled trucker who Temo talked out of $10,000. He at least got some work done, but Temo never came back to finish the job and Robert's weeds growing where the concrete he paid for is supposed to be.
"You a scumbag dude," he said.
Then there's Kevin and Amy, who paid Temo $60,000 for a big project. The project didn't go far -- the wind blew and the trusses fell and Temo disappeared.
"I just want him to stop," Amy said.
Finally, Bill and Tandra. After giving Temo $50,000 and waiting a year for him to complete the project, they gave up and hired someone else to finish the work.
While his customers were looking for him, Temo re-invented himself as an author named Temi Fabiano. And self published a book. Not even I saw that coming.
Temo has a long criminal history including fraud crimes in Florida, a felony domestic violence conviction in Michigan and DUIs in both states. So many, he can't even apply for a driver's license until 2024. And he's been busted for no license a bunch of times.
But Temo didn't want to talk to me about that or his sad customers.
Lots of people saw the story, like Sylvester.
"Woke up. Looked at the news. Same guy. Same guy. Right there in the flesh," he said.
Sylvester gave Temo $10,000 earlier in the summer to build a garage at his Mount Clemens home.
"It's been about a month and a half since he bailed out. We haven't heard a word from him," he said.
The materials Sylvester paid for are rotting away.
Charles paid Temo to extend the garage on his Saline house in December. Temo said he'd get to it as soon as the weather got nice.
"I texted him in June, three times a day. And he finally texted me back, I'll be there July 1."
But he never showed up. He says Temo pulled a permit, but never paid the city, basically giving him close to $8,000 for nothing.
Same thing happened to Hisham.
"I went to the city hall and looked up the permit, and they told me yes indeed he applied for a permit, but he had not paid for it," hes aid.
Hisham moved to Oregon. He hired Temo to build a garage in Pontiac at his rental home. Nothing's been done at all. Hisham saw my story a realized he'd been duped as well.
"I was surprised about how many people he had scammed."
More victims, more trouble for Temo.
Temo's in court because he was caught once again driving without a license. He was so hostile the cops had to taze him several times before taking him into custody.
Temo bonded out, plead guilty to driving on a suspended license and being a disorderly person -- two misdemeanors with 93 day maximum sentences.
I tried to talk to Temo before court in Novi.
Rob: "You know after I did that story I got more people calling me that say you took their money and you didn't do any work at all. OK. We'll be waiting for you."
Temo hides in the bathroom until his case is heard.
"We have the cameras here," his lawyer said to the judge during the proceeding. "We have the Hall of Shame after him. "
Temo's lawyer says he's under a lot of stress right now, but Temo's hired himself a driver and hasn't had a drink in 8 years. And Temo tells the judge he's working so hard he doesn't even take vacations. Interesting because just last week he was driving and in August he posted a picture of himself on vacation, holding what looks like a beer can.
Temo claims he's trying to be a better person and is making amends. Judge David Law isn't buying it as he looks at the transcript of Temo's latest arrest.
"Telling the police officers, 'F you, you need a warrant. Who the f are you?' Is that along the lines of being a better person?" the judge said.
"No your honor," he replied.
"Hold on I'm not done with my question," the judge said. "Is that showing you're making amends to other people, to society, to police officers for your lengthy criminal history in the past? ... What's it show me?" the judge said.
"It shows a disrespect for the law," Temo said.
"I agree, so what do you think I should do?" the judge asked.
"Put me in jail for 93 days," he said.
Temo gets his wish and is lead off to the Oakland County Jail. At least now he has a real excuse for not completing these garages.