5 million in a traveling conman scheme. According to prosecutors, O'Brien convinced victims their homes needed repairs and falsely promised to do the work, taking their life savings. He used a charming demeanor and scare tactics, including claiming houses would collapse if not fixed immediately and causing damage himself, prosecutors and victims reported.
O'Brien used the fraudulently obtained money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included luxury cars, expensive beauty treatments, and an extravagant entertainment budget, prosecutors said. He exploited day laborers who didn't speak English and didn't complain, with one laborer saying he hadn't been paid in three weeks, according to prosecutors. When arrested, investigators found hundreds of company flyers, binders of contracts, and invoices from April 2024 to March 2025 in O'Brien's car, with contracts totaling nearly $2 million, the attorney's office reported.
I didn't regret writing the letter even though I says I never knew the details of the crime.
S. Attorney's Office. O'Brien pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2025, multiple reports indicate.
Senator Eileen Flynn wrote a character reference for John O'Brien, her cousin, and says she does not regret writing it, though she did not know the extent of the crime. Her character reference described O'Brien as a man of kindness, strength of character, dedication to helping others, and commitment to his faith, Senator Eileen Flynn said. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said politicians have a duty to be more judicious when providing character references to courts and should understand the scale of the crime and damage to victims.
I babysat John. I sometimes walked into school, and everything else that went with what it's like living on site, with John. He's a first cousin. He went to America with good intentions. I wrote this letter a year ago, last April. I didn't know the extent of the crime. However I didn't focus on the crime. I focused on the young man that I knew and I did give him a letter in support of his character, and it's just really unfortunate that John ended up in the situation that he's in.
In a separate case in England, Richard Williams was jailed for 32 months for 16 counts of fraud by false representation, scamming over £75,000 from 16 clients for roofing or repairs that never happened or were poorly done, according to court reports. Williams targeted victims across North-West England from May 2019 to September 2023, taking lump sums in advance and then failing to show up or doing poor-quality work, court documents show. Arthur Dolan Sr and Arthur Dolan Jr were sentenced to six-month suspended prison sentences and 200 hours of unpaid work for fraudulent roofing work that scammed homeowners out of thousands of pounds, according to court reports.
The Dolans carried out misleading and substandard roofing work in Bristol and south Gloucestershire, leaving homeowners with significant financial loss and emotional strain, Wiltshire Council reported. One homeowner paid £12,450 to the Dolans and spent an additional £17,000 repairing issues they created; another was quoted £3,000 initially, which rose to £12,000 for unnecessary work, court documents indicate. Arthur Dolan Jr committed some of the latest offences while on bail awaiting sentencing, and both have previous convictions for similar offences, Wiltshire Council reported.
I didn't know the extent of the crime. To be honest, it's only what I'm reading. And to be fair, you know, I didn't know John as made out to be all over the media. I knew the young man that I used to babysit, the young man I brought to school, the young man who went to Mass, the young man who went for a better life. It was a letter to support him. It wasn't a letter to support the crime.
In another case, John Collins received a suspended prison sentence for swindling homeowners out of more than £10,000 through sham roofing and landscaping services at four properties in Chorley and Greater Manchester between August 2024 and April 2025, according to court reports. The exact amount of compensation victims will receive from the convicted fraudsters has not been confirmed. It remains unclear whether Senator Eileen Flynn will face any political or ethical repercussions for writing the character reference, and what specific measures are being implemented to prevent similar rogue trader scams in the future.