Man arrested for multi-state fraud scheme

SMITH COUNTY – An investigation by Smith County authorities led to the arrest of a man accused of running an asphalt paving scam in several states, according to our news partner KETK. Timothy Mark Adams allegedly skipped town after running scams in Smith County in 2020, and was found Monday in a Florida RV park after Smith County investigators were tipped off to his whereabouts.

The investigation started with an elderly couple reporting that they hired Adams from a Facebook advertisement for asphalt paving in March 2020. They allegedly paid Adams $3,000 in advance to asphalt their driveway, but no work was ever done. Smith County authorities coordinated with investigators in Hoover, Alabama who said they were investigating Adams for similar scams. Through cooperating with other law enforcement agencies, Smith County investigators said that they discovered Adams was running these scams in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Texas.

Smith County investigators secured two felony warrants and a grand jury indictment for Adams before he left town, allegedly sending a threatening message to one of his victims.

On Monday, Smith County Fraud Investigator John Partlow found that Adams was possibly staying in an RV park in Taylor County, Florida. After corresponding with officials there, the local sheriff’s office found Adams at the RV park and took him into custody on several warrants. He is awaiting extradition to Smith County.

Partlow said asphalt driveway scams are one of the most prevalent types of fraud and costs victims thousands of dollars every year.

“Never hire anyone for home repair services until you thoroughly check them out,” Partlow said. “Never pay anyone up front for services until the work is completed unless they require money for materials during the project.”