Man’s roofing scam swindled Arlington, Dallas-area homeowners out of $18K, police say
A man is wanted in multiple North Texas jurisdictions after he allegedly swindled homeowners out of more than $18,000 by pretending he was part of a reputable roofing company and needed to do work on their houses, authorities said.
Police in Arlington and Mesquite have issued arrest warrants for Joshua Bell, 36, who reportedly has ties to the Austin and Gainesville areas. It is believed he travels frequently from Austin to Dallas and could be staying in hotels in and around the Dallas area, Mesquite police said in a news release.
The alleged fraud in Mesquite involved Bell coercing an elderly Vietnam veteran over the course of several days to pay him $17,000 for unnecessary roofing repairs. The scheme began on Jan. 31, police said, and the department became aware of it on Feb. 4.
In Arlington, Bell is accused of telling a pair of homeowners he needed to do roofing work before their warranty expired, leading them to write him a $1,200 check, police said. He never completed any work, according to the warrant.
It’s unclear when the incident occurred, and police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
In both cases, Bell used the name “Michael,” believed to be his middle name, authorities said.
“After reviewing the evidence from our case and consulting with the Mesquite Police Department, we believe this same individual is responsible for a similar offense,” Arlington police said in a Facebook post this week.
The Mesquite and Arlington police departments have shared photos of Bell and his silver 2019 Chevy Silverado Z71 Trail Boss Edition, which has a Texas license plate with the number MSH-2023.
.png "unnamed (1).png")
Arlington police also shared a video of Bell captured by the Ring doorbell on the homeowner’s house. The video shows him ringing the doorbell and telling the person who answers the door he’s there to check the roof. He shakes the individual’s hand and is invited inside.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Michael,” he can be heard saying.
The homeowners wrote him the $1,200 check, Arlington police said, but as soon as he left, something felt off to them. They called the roofing company — which they had used in the past — and learned no one had been sent to their home that day, police said.
A manager for the company looked at the Ring video and didn’t recognize the man who claimed his name was Michael, police said. Company employees also checked the roof and determined no work had been done.
In Mesquite, however, Bell completed work like putting caulk on shingles and “very basic unnecessary repairs,” the department said. He convinced the Vietnam veteran to pay him $17,000 for the repairs, police said, saying her insurance company would reimburse her for the costs.
The department issued an arrest warrant for Bell on the charge of theft of property.
Crime Stoppers will pay $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of Bell, Mesquite police said. People can report tips by calling Crime Stoppers of Dallas County at 1-877-373-TIPS (8477) or Investigator A. Soto at 972-216-6704.
Arlington police said anyone with information on Bell’s whereabouts can call police or Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 10:34 AM.
