A Nebraska roofer charged with fraud in three separate counties around the Cornhusker State was recently sentenced in one of those cases for failing to complete roof work he had been paid for; a second trial is scheduled to begin at the end of August.

In the first case, according to Hall County District Court records, Joshua Madsen was sentenced last week to two years' probation on one count of theft by unlawful taking, which is akin to embezzlement. 

Madsen was initially charged with theft of property worth $5,000 or more, a Class IIA felony, and faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He pleaded no contest to the charge in March, and in exchange for his plea, the charge was reduced from theft by unlawful taking. He was ordered to pay $16,692 in restitution.

According to an arrest affidavit, the incident in Hall County, about 160 miles southwest of Omaha, occurred in March 2023. The charge sheet said a Hall County Sheriff's Deputy was contacted by a man who contacted Madsen, owner of Madsen Roofing, because he had hail damage to his residence.

The man said Madsen came to his residence and provided him with a quote. The man then wrote Madsen a check for nearly $17,000 to cover the cost of materials for a reroof and promised to complete the job within 14 days.

The affidavit said Madsen cashed the check but failed to replace the man's roof despite repeated efforts to contact the roofer. The number was disconnected when a Hall County Sheriff's Deputy attempted to contact Madsen by phone.

Madsen faces charges of theft by deception — more than $5,000 — in Adams and Buffalo Counties in strikingly similar incidents.

Adams County District Court records showed that on June 16, a representative from Grace United Methodist Church reported that in 2019, the church paid Madsen $8,256.10 to apply a sealant coating to its roof after sustaining damage in a storm.

An arrest affidavit said that in July 2020, Madsen advised the church that the total cost for materials and labor would be $24,685.78, and the church gave him a check for this amount.

Court records said that in June 2021, after Madsen had not contacted the church, the church's representative went to his home and was told he would contact her. However, the affidavit says the work has yet to be completed, and Madsen has not contacted the church.

In another case, court records say that on June 12, a Hastings Police officer was called to a residence after a man reported he paid Madsen $10,000 for roof work he never completed.

The man told the officer he sent Madsen numerous texts asking when the work would be completed. The homeowner said Madsen stopped responding to his texts and has yet to complete the job.

Madsen's Buffalo County case is set for trial on August 29, and his next appearance in the Adams County case is scheduled for Aug. 22.