Contractor allegedly skipped out on jobs, pocketed thousands

By ERIK S. HANLEY

USA Today Network

A local contractor is facing three felony charges for allegedly taking money from clients in South Milwaukee and not doing the work.

Owen Masters, 42, of West Bend, is facing two felony theft by contractor counts with an amount between $2,500 and $5,000 and a third felony count with an amount between $10,000 and $100,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
If convicted on all counts, Masters could face up to 17 years in prison and up to $45,000 in fines.

Masters was in court Feb. 4 for a preliminary hearing where the case was adjourned because the state public defenders office had not yet appointed an attorney, according to online court records. A status conference is scheduled for March 4.

Masters posted a $7,500 cash bond on Jan. 30.

According to the complaint:

South Milwaukee police investigated Masters for multiple alleged theft by contractor offenses between October 2024 and May 2025.
Police spoke with a resident who said she met with an employee of Property Restoration Professionals about fixing her roof in November 2024. The resident said she wrote and signed a $5,000 check to the company, which was cashed, but no work had been done. She said she reached out to the company repeatedly through the winter and following spring, but said scheduled work dates were rescheduled or canceled.

Police spoke with a second South Milwaukee resident in September 2025. This resident said they wrote a check to Property Restoration Professionals in October 2024 for $20,000 as a down payment for siding replacement. The resident said they were told the project would begin in a week or two, but it was later delayed another week and eventually rescheduled to spring 2025. The check had already been deposited.

The second resident said they reached back out to the company in March 2025, but the project kept getting delayed due to weather or they would receive no response at all.

Police obtained a screenshot of messages between a former employee of Property Restoration Professionals and a contact listed as “Owen,” who said the money was spent the previous year “when I was making very poor choices.” The messages said “Owen” was waiting for money from other jobs and planned to either knock out the siding job or refund the money. The number was later confirmed to be the same as on Masters’ bank records.

Police subpoenaed Landmark Credit Union for account information for Masters. They found additional checks deposited for repair work, including those from another South Milwaukee resident.

In November 2025, police contacted this third resident who said one year earlier, someone was in the neighborhood soliciting business for Property Restoration Professionals. She spoke with them about replacing her roof and siding which had been damaged by hail. The employee returned in December 2024, and the resident wrote a check for $3,823.12 as a down payment for the work.

The resident reached back out to the company between March and May 2025 asking about getting the work done or if she was being “ripped off.” She said the employee she spoke with promised he would reach out to Masters about the job. The resident said the work has not been done and she hasn’t received a refund.

Police were later able to review additional financial information for Masters. Statements from October 2024 through April 2025 list the three resident deposits. However, purchases from Walmart, Amazon, Fleet Farm, Uber and NFL.com, a Potawatomi withdrawal, and others indicated to police it was being used as a personal account.