Home renovation influencers Christopher and Raquelle Judge have admitted to federal fraud. They pleaded guilty to scamming over 40 customers out of almost $5 million by accepting money for custom homes they had no intention of completing.
Christopher Judge, 35, admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Tuesday, January 6th. His wife, Raquelle Judge, 36, previously pleaded guilty in December. Authorities state the Fort Worth couple took approximately $4.8 million from victims over a period between August 2020 and January 2023.
This couple presented themselves online as a luxury homebuilding and renovation company called Judge DFW, using social media like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to create an image similar to Chip and Joanna Gaines. Most of their social media pages have since been taken down.
Chris Judge faces 20 years in prison
The charges state that Christopher Judge misrepresented himself as a licensed architect and used lower-than-usual bids to get clients, assuring them projects would be finished in four to six months. After homeowners agreed to work with him, the Judges then requested substantial payments be sent directly to their company account.
According to prosecutors, the couple deliberately didn’t plan to finish the construction jobs. They allegedly took money from clients for their own use and did only minimal or poor-quality work to continue receiving payments. This resulted in at least 24 projects being abandoned, leaving many homeowners with unfinished and uninhabitable properties.
Court documents suggest The Judges used subpar subcontractors and didn’t pay them for their work. When customers complained about delays, The Judges reportedly offered excuses and asked for continued payments, promising the issues would be fixed if they kept paying.
Prosecutors revealed that the stolen funds were used to support the couple’s lavish lifestyle. This included $96,000 towards the construction of their $613,000 home in Keller, Texas, as well as $65,000 for legal expenses, $38,000 for housing costs (rent and mortgage), and $10,000 spent on cosmetic surgery. They also used the money for everyday purchases like items from Amazon, tuition, credit card bills, and other luxury goods.
According to court documents, one victim sent a total of $263,240 in 13 separate payments, and another victim paid over $436,000 in 12 installments.
During the course of the scheme, questions arose regarding Christopher Judge’s qualifications. The Texas Board of Architecture officially warned him in May 2022 for falsely claiming to be an architect. Prosecutors state this deceptive behavior went on until January 2023.
Okay, so I just read this and it’s pretty serious. Apparently, Christopher Judge could be looking at up to 20 years in federal prison. His wife, Raquelle Judge, is facing a maximum of five years. They’re scheduled to be sentenced next month – Raquelle’s hearing is on April 14th, and Christopher’s is a little later, on May 12th. Hopefully, things work out okay for them, but it doesn’t look good.
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2026-01-08 00:19