CLEVELAND — Jeffrey Crawford, the Avon homebuilder indicted for allegedly orchestrating two schemes that prosecutors say defrauded clients and investors out of nearly $3 million, appeared for his arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Friday.
Crawford, 51, owner of Cleveland Custom Homes, pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with defrauding six victims across Cuyahoga, Lorain and Trumbull counties. Bond was set at $10,000 and Crawford was ordered to surrender his passport and have a court-supervised release as part of his conditions. A pretrial hearing has been set for Oct. 27.
Crawford was indicted on the following charges on Sept. 25:
- Two counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- Four counts of aggravated theft
- Three counts of telecommunications fraud
- Three counts of tampering with records
- Three counts of forgery
- One count of theft from a person in a protected class
- Three counts of securing writings by deception
- Seven counts of passing bad checks
- One count of grand theft
- Two counts of money laundering
“This indictment shows Jeffrey Crawford is a con artist,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement, thanking the U.S. Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force and local police for their investigation. He added that more victims may still be unidentified.
CASE DETAILS
Prosecutors said the first scheme began in July 2021, when Crawford was hired to build three homes in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties valued at roughly $1.3 million, $650,000 and $600,000. According to investigators, Crawford forged and submitted documents to banks that falsely claimed construction milestones had been met and contractors had been paid. That allowed him to access additional loan funds, which were then diverted to other projects or personal expenses, prosecutors said…