Nearly $150,000. That’s the amount authorities believe Matthew Chamness has yet to pay inspectors who conducted inspections for flooring manufacturers via Chamness’ now-defunct company, L&N Inspection Service.
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Nearly $150,000. That’s the amount authorities believe Matthew Chamness has yet to pay inspectors who conducted inspections for flooring manufacturers via Chamness’ now-defunct company, L&N Inspection Service.
Chamness was indicted in September on a felony charge of theft of service in Collin County, Texas, and awaits trial. Detective Timothy Dowd said he was able to construct a case with the help of around 20 inspectors who claim they had been fleeced by Chamness, but he also said he knows there are more out there. For the purposes of his investigation, Dowd went back only two years.
L&N Inspection Service operated as a middleman between manufacturers and inspectors, hiring inspectors on behalf of manufacturers for complaints. The inspectors would bill Chamness, who would then receive payment from the manufacturer.
Initially, Chamness’ policy was to pay the inspectors every 30 days, Dowd said. Thirty soon turned to 60, and inspectors began filing complaints with their local police departments when payment was delayed further yet.
“Most of these inspectors were paid up to a certain point, but he started getting really far behind, and then things got real bad right before he thought about ending the business,” Dowd said. “He just got so far behind in sending people the money that he owed them.”
L&N Services Inc. was registered in Florida in 1994 and in Texas in 2007. Online public records list Chamness as having lived in Jacksonville, Fla. He now lives in Allen, Texas. The business closed sometime in 2016. Since then, police records show Chamness has been convicted of driving while intoxicated and evading arrest with a vehicle.
If you have been impacted by Chamness, reach out to Dowd at (214) 509-4252 or via email.
