Attorney General Charges Dane County Remodeling Contractors John Brooks and Daniel Brooks with Theft by Contractor

MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has announced that the Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against John Brooks and Daniel Brooks in connection with the operation of their now-defunct company Sunrooms by Design of Wisconsin, Inc. The complaint, filed today in Dane County Circuit Court, charges John and Daniel Brooks with three felony counts of theft by contractor for allegedly misappropriating payments from remodeling clients. According to the complaint, the defendants used money they received from remodeling clients to pay expenses unrelated to those clients' projects.

The complaint also alleges that the defendants failed to provide lien waivers to their customers on six projects, in some cases requiring the customers to pay suppliers or subcontractors twice for the same materials or labor. Under the statutes, the failure of a home improvement contractor to provide a lien waiver upon full payment by a client constitutes a misdemeanor.

John and Daniel Brooks are scheduled to make their initial appearance in Dane County Circuit Court on January 10, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. Assistant Attorneys General Barbara Oswald and John Greene are representing the state.

A criminal complaint is a document alleging a violation of the criminal law. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of the criminal complaint is available at: