Hall of Shame: This guy puts the 'con' in concrete

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Say hi to Donald "Rusty" Fry.

Don Fry puts the con into his concrete jobs, saying he's been doing concrete and brick work for 30 years.  But Don's arrest record goes back even further.

Now Don Fry's cooked his own goose because his days of getting paid and disappearing are going to be over fast.

This is the concrete patio form Don Fry started for Angela and John, a married couple who just bought a brand new home in Westland.

"He came out and looked at what we wanted for a patio size and gave us a quote."  "He said he was licensed insured does this all the time...we wouldn't have any issues."

Both John and Angela have important jobs and don't have time to mess with any contractor problems.

Angela wrote Don Fry a $1,400 dollar check to get started and within days he was setting up the concrete forms.  A few days later, Fry told Angela he'd be pouring the concrete that afternoon while she and John were at work. 

He asked for the remainder of his money.  She wrote Fry a $1,380 check expecting to come home to a finished patio. Instead the patio's been unfinished ever since.

Don Fry's bailed out on jobs like this before.  But this time he may have picked the wrong couple to rip off.

Angela and John both have important jobs – Angela for the U.S. Attorney’s office and John for federal law enforcement.

Don Fry is also cruel.

"He came to my door," she said. "I'm so angry with myself because he probably caught me at a bad time in my life you know."

Mary, 88, sure was at a bad time in her life.  She needed pavers straightened because she was afraid her terminally ill husband was going to trip and fall.  Don Fry said he could do the job.

Rob Wolchek: "So you gave him how much money?"

"I think it was a couple thousand dollars," Mary said.

Fry was also supposed to fix a few broken bricks in their patio.

She says Fry showed up, pulled the pavers and bricks out and said he'd be back.

Wolchek: "He knew your husband was sick and ailing?"

"Of course," she said.

Wolchek:  "And he just took your money and left?"

Mary: "Yes."

Mary had to pay someone else to put the bricks back.  Her husband of more than 60 years passed away shortly afterwards leaving her alone to think about the creep who stole her money at the lowest point of her long life.  Donald Fry.

Mary reported Fry and his company masonry restoration to the Better Business Bureau.  He had other complaints with the BBB as well, but Fry was always on the move.

Wolchek found him working on houses Downriver. He was taking what looks to be payments. On his truck it says he's licensed and insured. 

But Don Fry doesn't have a builder's license. This guy doesn't even have a driver’s license.

Donald Russel "Rusty" Fry has been cited a bunch of times for driving with no license, but that's nothing.  This guy was convicted of possessing dangerous drugs, resisting and obstructing a police officer,
marijuana possession and damaging property in the 1980s. 

In the 1990s he was found guilty of felony malicious destruction, felony fleeing the police and destroying police property.  Then in 2005 he was found guilty of possession of narcotics.  A few months later, he was guilty of felony retail fraud. 

Six months after that he pleaded guilty to another felony retail fraud charge.

Then in 2008, police responded to a 911 call from a house in Canton.  When cops arrived, they observed a man and a woman hiding from the cracked concrete guy on the roof - including a pregnant woman who
screamed "Help us, he's going to kill us all."

According to records, Don Fry was assaulting people at a party with a knife. When the cops cornered Fry he told the police "Let's do this (expletives)" before attacking the officers.  Fry had to get tazed.  Twice.

Donald Fry plead guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assaulting a police officer causing injury.  He went to prison, got out and continued to get in trouble.  He was guilty of larceny in 2010 and then a year ago he was busted for possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

Wolchek has got to meet Don.  But first, Don needs to meet his undercover cameraman. He comes out to check out a porch job and looks like he's got a new van.  He writes out a contract and shows off his photo album of some of the work.

He's supposedly done, shakes hands on the deal and he's off.

But a few days later, he returns expecting a check.  Instead, he gets a Wolchek.

Wolchek: "So tell me about this family in Westland you're supposed to do their patio for them?"

"Huh?  Oh no, no, no," Fry said.

Don must think this is all pretty funny.

"They already sued me," Fry said. "So what does it matter?  I've got to go to court."

Wolchek: "So fill me in on it, why did you do that?"

"We had some financial problems and everything got set back," Fry said.

Wolchek: "You know that lady works for the U.S. attorney's office?"

"Yes sir," Fry said.

"And her husband is a federal agent," Wolchek added.

"They've already sued me," Fry said. "I'll go to court and I'll pay them.  That's all I can do."

Wolchek: "Remember Mary you ripped her off? You took her money, an 88-year-old lady?"

Fry: "Mary who?"

"You talking about two brick and a porch," Fry said. "I'm gone."

Don, your business is about to hit the bricks.  You're in the Hhhhhall of Shame!

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