A Hattiesburg man pleads guilty and must repay a widow he cheated out of home repairs

On October 16, 2024By Yukito

JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – A home improvement fraud case that began in 2019 is finally coming to an end after the accused contractor pleaded guilty for a lesser amount and was ordered to pay restitution to the homeowner.

Christopher John Lundin was initially arrested in 2019 on home improvement fraud charges in Jones County. The charge was later dropped under false pretenses.

According to documents filed in Jones County Circuit Court, the case involves promised and paid for repairs to the home of Ruby Hooks, the widow of former Jones County Sheriff Maurice Hooks.

In 2019, Hooks said she paid Lundin more than $32,000 for construction work on her home, but he never completed the work.

At the time, Lundin was listed with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office under New Wave Construction, LLC. The company has since been dissolved.

Lundin initially pleaded not guilty to the original home improvement fraud charges. However, court documents filed on October 8, 2024 show that he pleaded guilty as part of an agreement to join the District Attorney’s Pretrial Intervention Program.

Lundin will be on the program for three years. During this time, he must work 400 hours as part of the District Court’s community service program.

The court also ordered Lundin to pay $10,000 in restitution to Hooks and $3,977.50 in court fees and fines.

If Lundin commits a legal offense or violates any of the terms of the program, he may be removed from the program and re-arrested for trial.

Hooks entered a plea agreement with the court’s order on October 8.

The entire pre-trial intervention order can be read here:

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