A construction crew that KING 5 investigators say closely matched the pattern of a suspected multi-million-dollar home repair scam was confronted on camera outside a Bellevue, Washington, home after reporters spent days waiting for the workers to return.
Investigative reporter Andie Judson said the company involved at that property, Highview Construction and Paving, has not been charged with any crime and did not ultimately take money from the homeowner. Still, the crew drew attention because the job appeared to follow many of the same details KING 5 has documented in dozens of other complaints, including rapidly rising prices, out-of-state vehicles and workers with Irish-sounding accents.
The investigation has grown far beyond a normal contractor dispute. Judson said federal investigators are now involved, and sources close to the case believe the suspected scheme could involve tens of millions of dollars.
A Porch Job Rose To $47,000
The Bellevue homeowner, who did not want to appear on camera, said the situation began when workers came to her door and offered to repair her porch.
According to Judson, the original price later more than doubled until the proposed work reached roughly $47,000.
The homeowner said the company then continued suggesting additional repairs around the property.
That pattern sounded familiar to KING 5 because other homeowners had described similar experiences.
Jeff Nicholds, one of the people who previously contacted the station, said workers “just kept coming back” and claiming more money was needed to finish the job.
Carol Nelson said one contractor wanted another $34,000 from her.
Since KING 5 first began reporting on the alleged scheme, Judson said more than 40 additional people have contacted the station with complaints.
Some described losses of tens of thousands of dollars. One victim, Judson said, reported losing approximately $700,000.
That figure alone shows why federal authorities would be interested. Even if individual incidents can look like ordinary disputes over bad construction work, a repeating pattern across many homeowners can point to something much larger.
Victims Kept Mentioning The Same Accent
Judson said the names of contractors and businesses changed from case to case, making the alleged operation harder to follow.
But victims repeatedly pointed to one unusual detail: the men they encountered often spoke with Irish-sounding accents.
David Diedrick told KING 5 that one of the men he dealt with had what he believed was an Irish accent.
Nicholds separately described hearing “definitely an Irish accent,” while Nelson recalled the same thing.
The accent itself is not evidence of criminal conduct, and KING 5 did not suggest otherwise. Instead, investigators treated it as one repeated descriptive detail among several that homeowners said appeared across separate cases.
In early August, a friend of the Bellevue homeowner saw KING 5’s previous coverage and believed the men working at the house matched the pattern.
The homeowner and her friend then began recording interactions with two men identified to them as Marty and John, who were said to be overseeing the project.
Shortly after realizing they were being filmed, the men and other workers abruptly left the property, leaving behind equipment, trailers and an unfinished job.
KING 5 Waited Three Days For Them To Return
Judson and the KING 5 investigative team suspected someone would eventually come back for the abandoned trailers.
So they waited.
After roughly two and a half to three days of watching the property, trucks with New Jersey and New York license plates finally arrived.
“That’s the guys, let’s go,” Judson said as the investigative team moved in.
Four young men began gathering equipment and connecting the trailers to the trucks.
Two appeared to be minors, so KING 5 blurred their faces. The station reported that they were believed to be sons of men connected with the operation.
Judson approached the group and explained that KING 5 had been investigating a string of alleged construction scams throughout the region.
“Your company’s description fits that,” she told them. “Do you have anything to say about that?”
One young man replied that he was “just a worker” and had only been called there to pick up the equipment.
The exchange is striking because the reporters had spent months hearing from homeowners but had rarely been able to confront anyone they believed might be connected to the broader pattern.
A 19-Year-Old Says He Was Just Picking Up Trailers
One of the young men identified himself as James and told Judson he was 19 years old.
He said he had lived in Seattle his whole life and explained that his accent came from his father’s side of the family, which he described as being from the United Kingdom or somewhere nearby.
Judson asked him directly about the homeowners who believed they had been scammed.
James did not offer a response to the allegations and repeatedly said he had only been sent to retrieve the trailers.
He described himself as a freelancer and said he intended to take them back to a Highview location in Shoreline.
That explanation created another problem.
Judson said KING 5 had already visited the Shoreline address listed on Highview Construction and Paving’s website and found only a strip mall, with no apparent construction company operating there.
“I’ve never actually been there,” James responded.
He said he normally went to a separate trailer lot but would not tell the reporters where that lot was.
Instead, he told them to contact his boss, whom he identified as Jeffrey.
That was another new name. The homeowner had previously dealt with men calling themselves Marty and John.
The Company Never Returned KING 5’s Call
KING 5 called the phone number listed for Highview Construction and Paving.
The voicemail did not name the business.
Instead, a man with what Judson described as another Irish accent simply said the caller had reached “the construction company.”
KING 5 left a message but said nobody returned the call.
Judson also noted that federal investigators had been seen parked outside the Bellevue home just two days before the crew returned.
That detail suggested authorities were already paying close attention to the company.
Again, Highview Construction and Paving has not been charged with a crime, and no money was ultimately taken from the Bellevue homeowner.
But the unanswered questions continued piling up: an address that did not appear to lead to a business, multiple names, out-of-state plates, an abandoned job and a crew that returned only to collect equipment.
None of those things alone proves criminal activity, but together they explain why investigators and reporters kept looking.
Police Were Waiting Down The Street
After the workers finished connecting the trailers, they drove away.
They did not get far.
Judson said four Bellevue police vehicles were waiting down the street and blocked the crew’s path.
KING 5 watched as officers appeared to question the men and ask for fingerprints.
Judson noted that this level of police attention would be unusual for what looked on the surface like a simple consumer complaint.
After nearly an hour, police allowed the men to leave.
Bellevue Police later confirmed only that officers had responded to an incident and said they could not provide further details.
The broader investigation has been referred to the Department of Homeland Security, according to Judson, which is now handling cases connected with the suspected scheme throughout the Seattle region.
Investigators Say The Losses Could Reach Tens Of Millions
KING 5’s reporting has uncovered victims throughout Washington, with complaints continuing to arrive after the original investigation aired.
Judson said the alleged operation appears to extend across state lines and possibly international borders, which is one reason federal authorities became involved.
Sources close to the investigation believe the total losses could reach tens of millions of dollars.
If that estimate proves accurate, Judson said it could become one of the largest scams in Washington state history.
The scale is what makes the Bellevue confrontation so important.
This homeowner did not lose money, and the company has not been charged, but the encounter gave viewers a rare look at a crew whose circumstances closely resembled the pattern described by many other homeowners.
The alleged scam itself is also remarkably simple: knock on a door, offer repair work at an attractive price, begin the job and then repeatedly demand more money.
What turns that simple approach into something potentially massive is repetition.
If the same general playbook is being used again and again under different company names, against homeowners in multiple locations, even modest individual payments can quickly become millions.
For now, federal investigators are still trying to determine whether Highview Construction and Paving is connected to the larger suspected network and whether anyone involved will eventually face criminal charges.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
