Update 11/28/16 - Our In Your Corner team has new details involving fly-by-night pavers from Texas.
They’re accused of doing shoddy work in our state.
Now, we're getting word the pavers are spending the winter in the desert.
Bo Costello and his family are in Arizona now.
We’re receiving new photos of their trucks and equipment at a campgrounds in Tucson, where we know they paid cash for a 30-day reservation.
They’re still driving that white pick-up with Texas tags and a trailer on back.
Costello and several family members are accused of defrauding at least two Oklahoma families near Blanchard.
Court records show Costello was pulled over for speeding in Tucson earlier this month.
We know he's wanted in Murray County, Oklahoma for failing to show up to court on a speeding ticket.
You’ll remember, he and his family members were involved in a triple shooting in the Houston area.
Costello was charged with attempted burglary, although a grand jury didn't think there was enough evidence to indict him.
We’ve alerted authorities in Arizona.
The In Your Corner bottom line:
- Be wary of cash-only sales from someone with out-of-state tags.
- If they claim to have leftover asphalt from another job, a professional asphalt contractor knows how much material is needed to complete a job.
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Update 4/22/16: Our In Your Corner team has new details tonight on those traveling pavers targeting families in our state.
We've been tracking them and their alleged paving scheme for weeks with sightings in Blanchard and now east of Oklahoma City.
Bo Costello and several family members are accused of doing shoddy driveway work then bullying a family from Blanchard into forking over nearly $7,000.
Now, there are new leads coming into our In Your Corner hotline.
It appears the pavers have been working their way east towards Arkansas.
A viewer tells Scott Hines he recently spotted them casing rural homes in the Henryetta area and ran them off.
Costello and his crew are driving a white pick-up with Texas tags and a trailer and large equipment on back.
The men were involved in a triple shooting in the Houston area last year and later on charged with attempted burglary.
If you see them around your town, call law enforcement.
Update 4/14/16: Earlier this month, we put out a warning about a traveling asphalt crew casing homes in our area.
An alert NewsChannel 4 viewer was watching our story and contacted us with new information about the fly-by-night pavers.
A second family from the Blanchard area said the same men accused of ripping off Rick Chancellor also approached them about doing asphalt work.
They recognized the mugshot of one of the accused scammers featured in our story, Bo Costello.
We know Costello is from the Houston area traveling with other family members through our state.
We're learning more about their scheme.
They’re allegedly using a flier to fool families.
First off, it's highly unlikely they are licensed and bonded, and it said they do roof repairs.
We checked.
They are not licensed roofers.
The flier lists a Houston phone number.
And, get this:
While doing our investigation, we uncovered more court records linking the men to a triple shooting in the Houston area late last year that left one paver shot.
We know three of the pavers were charged with attempted burglary.
The In Your Corner bottom line is the guys could still be in our area.
Avoid them at all costs and, if they show up in your driveway, call police.
BLANCHARD, Okla. - It's a scam our In Your Corner team exposes each year.
There are new reports popping up across our state.
Misfit crews are going door-to-do door offering to seal driveways and patch holes.
A three-person crew driving a pick-up with Texas plates showed up at Rick Chancellor's house in Blanchard about two weeks ago.
“They weren't driving a big asphalt truck, just a big one ton Dodge truck with a spray rig in the back of it,” he said.
We were able to trace one of the men to the Houston area, Bo Costello.
“He mostly stood back and let his partner do the sales,” Chancellor said.
Often times, the hard sell includes a dirt cheap offer.
Once they get you on the hook, they try to bully you into paying more and the work is always a total joke.
“You pull it up, and it's just like a layer of paint and, underneath it, is nothing but dirt and gravel,” Chancellor said.
The paving scammers tend to be from the same family and wreak havoc on driveways in rural areas.
We know another crew from Texas was targeting families in the Blanchard area last fall.
Here are more red flags to look out for:
- They pretend to be local but have out-of-state plates and demand cash with no invoices or contracts or a business card.
- Go with a local professional company.
- Don't be fooled by their 'too good to be true' offer.
- If they show up in your area going door to door, call law enforcement.