BISMARCK, N.D. — A roofing contractor has been banned from operating in North Dakota after taking payment for a job and never completing it.

According to a release, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem issued a cease and desist on McKenna Roofing and its owner, Joshua McKenna, from conducting business within the borders of North Dakota following an investigation.

The Attorney General Consumer Protection division opened an investigation in August 2019 after receiving a complaint from the Secretary of State’s office. In August 2018, McKenna offered to tear off and replace shingles for a homeowner in Fort Ransom, N.D. The job was priced at $5,200, which the homeowner paid in advance.

Initially, McKenna agreed to complete the work before the winter of 2018, but asked the homeowner to move it to spring of 2019 due to the weather. In April 2019, the homeowner contacted McKenna, who said he would begin the job in two to three weeks, but a month later, the work still hadn’t started.

This back and forth went on for months until July 2019, when McKenna told the homeowner the work would be completed in September. The cease and desist order states McKenna never completed the work, nor did he refund the client.

The Secretary of State reported that McKenna’s license had expired in March 2018, six months prior to contracting with the client. The investigation further revealed that McKenna has pending criminal charges in Stark County for construction fraud and theft.

“After the initial contact was made, McKenna stopped cooperating with the investigators, leaving no alternative but to ban him from doing business in the state,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

The full cease and desist can be viewed here.