Texas Business Owner Admits Guilt in Home Building Fraud Case
A Fort Worth business owner has pled guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge after receiving nearly $5 million from local customers for unfinished custom home building and remodeling projects. This announcement was made by Ryan Raybould, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, on December 30, 2025.
Court records indicate that Christopher Judge and his wife, Raquelle Judge, both residents of Fort Worth, Texas, were managing members of Judge DFW LLC, a Texas limited liability company. From approximately August 2020 to January 2023, the couple conspired to defraud consumers by falsely offering custom architecture, construction, and interior design services that they never completed.
In their fraudulent scheme, the Judges misrepresented Christopher Judge as an architect. Victims received below-market bids from Judge DFW and signed design and build contracts for the promised work. However, after starting construction projects and accepting multiple installment payments from victims, the defendants failed to complete these projects, often leaving victims without a finished residence.
Plea documents reveal that the Judges defrauded over 40 victims across six counties in the Northern District of Texas, involving at least 24 different construction projects. Furthermore, court records show that the defendants commingled victims’ installment payments in the primary Judge DFW operating account, frequently using individual victim payments for unrelated construction projects.
The total alleged loss amounts to approximately $4.8 million. Christopher Judge has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a potential sentence of up to twenty years in federal prison. Raquelle Judge pled guilty on December 17, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which subjects her to a maximum of five years in federal prison.
In addition to prison time, both defendants face monetary penalties, restitution, and terms of supervised release. Sentencing for Raquelle Judge is scheduled for April 14, 2026, while Christopher Judge’s sentencing is set for May 12, 2026. Both hearings will take place before United States District Judge Terry R. Means.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Euless Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McDonald and Laura Montes.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas
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A Fort Worth business owner has pled guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge after receiving nearly $5 million from local customers for unfinished custom home building and remodeling projects. This announcement was made by Ryan Raybould, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, on December 30, 2025.
Court records indicate that Christopher Judge and his wife, Raquelle Judge, both residents of Fort Worth, Texas, were managing members of Judge DFW LLC, a Texas limited liability company. From approximately August 2020 to January 2023, the couple conspired to defraud consumers by falsely offering custom architecture, construction, and interior design services that they never completed.
In their fraudulent scheme, the Judges misrepresented Christopher Judge as an architect. Victims received below-market bids from Judge DFW and signed design and build contracts for the promised work. However, after starting construction projects and accepting multiple installment payments from victims, the defendants failed to complete these projects, often leaving victims without a finished residence.
Plea documents reveal that the Judges defrauded over 40 victims across six counties in the Northern District of Texas, involving at least 24 different construction projects. Furthermore, court records show that the defendants commingled victims’ installment payments in the primary Judge DFW operating account, frequently using individual victim payments for unrelated construction projects.
The total alleged loss amounts to approximately $4.8 million. Christopher Judge has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a potential sentence of up to twenty years in federal prison. Raquelle Judge pled guilty on December 17, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which subjects her to a maximum of five years in federal prison.
In addition to prison time, both defendants face monetary penalties, restitution, and terms of supervised release. Sentencing for Raquelle Judge is scheduled for April 14, 2026, while Christopher Judge’s sentencing is set for May 12, 2026. Both hearings will take place before United States District Judge Terry R. Means.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Euless Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McDonald and Laura Montes.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas
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