Jul 14, 2020

Kan. construction contractor going to prison for defrauding customers

Posted Jul 14, 2020 11:00 PM
Vap -photo Sedgwick County
Vap -photo Sedgwick County

WICHITA, KAN. – A former Kansas construction contractor was sentenced to 34 months in prison Friday for defrauding several of his former customers.

Jeffrey T. Vap, 55, Goddard, the one-time owner of Quality Construction and Remodeling, was convicted of seven counts of felony theft related to construction projects that never started or were never finished, according to the Sedgwick County Attorney's office.

In all of the cases, Vap took significant down payments to start the projects.

The projects involved improvements and remodeling work at a church, a restaurant and several private residences between 2011 and 2016.

Vap was originally granted probation on the seven convictions, in part so that he could pay his former customers more than $50,000 in restitution.

At the time he was granted probation, Vap was ordered not to work as an independent contractor where he would take money from customers.

In March, Vap was found in violation of his probation for continuing to engage in business as a construction contractor.

Vap asked Judge Eric Williams to reinstate his probation because he had paid all of his restitution and was now suffering health problems.

Judge Williams denied the request for reinstatement of probation and ordered Vap to serve his original sentence