Nebraska businessman indicted for fraud

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging a Nebraska contractor for allegedly defrauding customers across multiple states by failing to construct buildings after being paid.

According to court documents, Bobby Bates Sr., 42, of Grand Island, Nebraska, is charged with two counts of wire fraud. 

Bates, as the owner of Built Rite Construction, is accused of accepting deposits for construction projects and not starting or completing the work. Between February 2023 and October 2023, he allegedly defrauded customers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas resulting in total losses of more than $700,000.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting the case.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Enoch Kennon, 38, was indicted on one count of felon in possession of a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Christopher Oakley is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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