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A Fort Worth business owner who collected nearly $5 million from local customers for unfinished custom homebuilding and remodeling projects has pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud conspiracy charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Court records show that Christopher Judge and his wife, Raquelle Judge, both of Fort Worth, were managing members of Judge DFW, a Texas-based limited liability company. Prosecutors said that from approximately August 2020 through January 2023, the couple conspired to defraud consumers by offering custom architecture, construction, and interior design services that were never completed.
As part of the scheme, the defendants falsely represented that Christopher Judge was an architect and offered below-market bids to attract customers.
Victims then executed design-and-build contracts and made multiple installment payments after construction began. According to plea documents, many projects were abandoned before completion, often leaving homeowners without finished residences.
Federal authorities said the fraud affected more than 40 victims across six counties in the Northern District of Texas and involved at least 24 separate construction projects. Court records also indicate that victim payments were commingled in Judge DFW’s primary operating account and frequently used to fund unrelated projects rather than the work for which the funds were paid.
The total loss attributed to the scheme is approximately $4.8 million.
Christopher Judge pleaded guilty this week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Raquelle Judge pleaded guilty on Dec. 17 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Both defendants also face restitution, monetary penalties, and terms of supervised release.
Raquelle Judge is scheduled to be sentenced April 14. Christopher Judge’s sentencing is set for May 12. Both hearings will take place before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Euless Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McDonald and Laura Montes.