An Ottawa contractor has pleaded guilty to one count of uttering threats and one count of fraud over $5,000 relating to 28 victims over work that was never finished or in some cases never even started.

In court Wednesday, Crown attorney Malcolm Savage said Cory Cahill “defrauded over 28 victims of approximately $253,451” over three years. Cahill had originally been facing 65 charges including fraud, forgery and mischief.

While reading the agreed statement of facts in court, Savage detailed what he called Cahill’s pattern of deceit.

“After complaints about his work and fraudulent nature began to accumulate on the Internet, he assumed a different name, Ken Perkins, and changed the name of his company in order to deceive his customers.”

Ottawa police said Cahill advertised his work under several business names including Cedar Renovations, Cory HT&T, Epic Wood Finishing and Platinum Cabinets.

After initially being charged with fraud exceeding $5,000 and uttering threats in August 2021, several people, including Allison Brookes, came forward to police with allegations.  

“For me it brings closure,” said Brookes, who paid Cahill almost $170,000 and who told her story to CTV News Ottawa in October. “I think my part in this is probably done and I’m just happy that he can’t go and hurt any more families or any more people like he did to me.”

Brookes said her home was left in disarray—stairs put on the wrong way, no kitchen ceiling or an upstairs shower and chunks missing from her floors, among other major issues.

The agreed statement of facts read in court outlined similar experiences of other victims. 

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