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Last updated on Thursday, November 20, 2014
(IOWA) - A pole barn construction scam that crossed at least six states over several years ended this week in Jasper County, Iowa.
After receiving a tip about a possible construction scam, Iowa police arrested 54-year-old Edward Armstrong on 17 arrest warrants out of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Armstrong, who has gone by at least 15 aliases, allegedly duped customers across several states into paying him for projects he didn't complete.
He was arrested on nine nationwide search warrants and has a number of outstanding state-level warrants as well, including one in Monroe County, Indiana.
His most serious local charges in Iowa include corrupt business influence and home improvement fraud, each punishable by two to eight years. He's also charged with similar offenses in a long list of other Indiana counties.
In 2011, Armstrong was charged in Tippecanoe Co., Indiana with 12 felonies, including corrupt business influence and home improvement fraud. According to court documents, six victims said they paid Armstrong thousands of dollars to construct pole barns, but he left town before they were finished.
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