John O'Brien, the Irish national who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud last year, has been sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island.
O'Brien, 28, was sentenced on Tuesday, April 7, for his role in a scheme to defraud homeowners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, US Attorney Charles C. Calenda announced.
After pleading guilty to wire fraud in December, the Irish man was sentenced to 56 months in federal prison by US District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr.
Having been living in the US unlawfully, O'Brien is expected to be deported following the completion of his sentence.
“John O’Brien’s scheme was not just fraudulent, it was predatory," US Attorney Calenda said following O'Brien's sentencing.
"He deliberately targeted homeowners and exploited their trust for personal and financial gain."
Calenda continued: “This case reflects a broader pattern of individuals known as ‘Traveling Conmen’ who cross state lines for the purpose of defrauding victims.
"Individuals who engage in this kind of calculated deception should expect to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted in federal court. This office will continue to prioritize protecting individuals from this type of premeditated scheme.
"Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of O’Brien’s conduct and the harm it causes to victims."
Jeffrey Grimming, Homeland Security Investigations New England Acting Special Agent in Charge, said O'Brien "preyed on unsuspecting homeowners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts by posing as a skilled tradesman and contractor—someone they could trust.
"Instead, this conman fleeced homeowners of upwards of $1 million while inflicting substantial damage to their homes."
Grimming said that in one case, O'Brien used his Irish origin "to build rapport with an elderly veteran in Warwick, Rhode Island, over their shared Irish heritage only to extort him for tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary home repairs."
Grimming said: “These scammers actively manipulate homeowners’ emotions, and anyone can be a victim.
"We urge homeowners to be wary of anyone offering unsolicited services and, most importantly, to come forward if they’ve been victimized.
"After today’s sentence, O’Brien will serve serious federal prison time and be subsequently deported.”
The District of Rhode Island said in a statement that, as outlined in court documents, O’Brien and his co-conspirators induced homeowners to pay for home repairs that were unnecessary and often not completed. O’Brien falsely claimed structural problems, overstated repair needs, and misrepresented the necessity of services, as well as the qualifications of his purported construction companies, including Traditional Masonry & Construction.
In some instances, O’Brien initially performed or recommended minor repairs before falsely claiming that additional, more extensive work was urgently needed, significantly increasing the cost to homeowners.
O’Brien’s fraud scheme came to the attention of law enforcement when an 83-year-old Warwick resident, identified in court documents as Victim 1, contacted the Warwick Police Department to report being defrauded by a contractor. Victim 1 reported that O’Brien told him that, while doing work in the neighborhood, he observed cracks in Victim 1’s foundation.
O’Brien offered to repair the damage to the foundation and collected $9,500 from Victim 1. As work proceeded, O’Brien claimed that further damage was discovered. O’Brien revised the costs for repairs and sought an additional $80,000 from the victim. A home inspector hired by the US Attorney’s Office later reviewed the property and found no evidence of a need for these extensive foundation repairs.
At the change of plea hearing on December 11, 2025, O’Brien admitted to defrauding property owners of over $1.5 million between July 2021 and March 2025.
The District of Rhode Island highlighted that the scheme O’Brien executed is becoming increasingly common throughout the US. According to the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, the Traveling Conmen Fraud Group has been recognized as a Transnational Organized Crime group. Members are typically groups of Irish or UK nationals who entered the United States on pleasure or tourist visas and overstayed their visits or, more commonly, entered the US illegally.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Warwick and East Providence Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Taylor A. Dean and Sandra R. Hebert. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.
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