Contractor Gets 25 Years over Tornado Scam

LUFKIN (AP) – A building contractor convicted of scamming victims of a December 2009 tornado in Lufkin must serve 25 years in prison. A judge in Lufkin on Tuesday sentenced 43-year-old Jason Lynn McKnight of Wells. A jury in October convicted McKnight on five counts of fraud. He was accused of illegally securing building permits from the city on behalf of tornado victims without their knowledge or not having the residents under contract. McKnight, who says he was unfairly judged because he previously spent time in prison, says he plans to appeal. Further details on his criminal history were not immediately available.