All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Harrison County contractor sentenced to a decade in prison for defrauding customers of more than $500,000

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Bradley Glaspell, of Salem, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months of incarceration for defrauding over 70 customers out of more than a half a million dollars through his contracting businesses, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

“Mr. Glaspell was a shady contractor who took advantage of West Virginians who paid him up front and trusted that he would do the job,” said United States Attorney Ihlenfeld. “His dishonesty caused many to be left with unfinished projects and I’m pleased that he will spend the next ten years behind bars.”

Glaspell, 48, the owner and operator of Over the Top Roofing, LLC, and Helping Hands Home Improvement, pled guilty in May 2022 in federal court to “Wire Fraud.”  Glaspell falsely advertised his businesses on social media, claiming to be a licensed contractor when in fact he was not. He required down payments for materials but then failed to complete the work as promised and used the money he collected for his own personal expenses.

The judge ordered Glaspell to pay $593,009.05 in restitution.

Glaspell’s victims were from Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Ohio, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Upshur, and Wetzel counties in West Virginia, and Washington and Fayette counties in Pennsylvania.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The investigation was led by the West Virginia State Police and the Internal Revenue Service and supported by the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office. Numerous county prosecutor’s offices, sheriff’s departments, and police departments assisted with investigating the matter and the gathering of evidence.

Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.

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