More than 100 criminal cases are now open against a single Mobile roofing and window operation, and on July 21 the Mobile City Council will decide whether to strip the company of its right to do business in the city at all.
The company at the center of the case is All Weather Roofing and Construction LLC, which also independently owned and operated Window Depot USA of Mobile. Its business license is currently on hold. That status allows the company to remain open for now but blocks it from renewing the license in January. A revocation vote next week could end the matter sooner.
Customers Told the Council They Paid and Got Nothing
Tuesday’s council meeting included a public hearing on the proposed revocation. Two customers stood up to speak, and both described the same experience: money handed over, and no windows or roof to show for it.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Eric Nelson addressed council members directly.
“I’m imploring you to take action. I ask you to take measures to make sure they don’t have another company license. When asked to fight, I fought. I’m certain you all intend to do the same for us. It’s part of your duties and responsibilities.”
Councilman Beau Fleming responded that the council does not take the matter lightly.
Katie Morrison, another customer, framed the scale of the losses in terms of who is absorbing them.
“I’m here today not just for myself, but all the victims in Mobile. These victims are our parents, grandparents, neighbors. This is not a small dispute; it is a community crisis.”
The Mayor Says He Has Never Seen Anything Like It
Mayor Spiro Cherigotis said the volume of complaints and the size of the losses stand apart from anything else that has crossed his desk.
“I’ve never seen anything to this level. I can tell you I have seen deposits being spent, work not being done in many cases. I would say this feels like the biggest and largest situation I have ever been aware of with this number of victims and this amount of loss. It does surprise me that it was able to happen, frankly, without it coming to our attention sooner.”
The Case Count Has More Than Doubled Since June
In June, City of Mobile Public Safety Director Curtis Graves said more than 50 cases had been filed. By July 6, Mobile Police confirmed the number had more than doubled. Graves has said all 100-plus cases are being handled as a criminal matter, not a civil billing dispute.
The financial picture reported by customers is stark:
- Roughly $500,000 in combined losses reported directly by customers
- More than $1.1 million when civil court filings are added in
- 100+ criminal cases under active investigation by Mobile police
Regulators and the Franchise Have Already Pulled Away
The company has been losing institutional support for weeks. In June, the Window Depot USA corporate office cut ties with the Mobile location and said it is no longer authorized to use the Window Depot name, trademarks, or branding.
The Better Business Bureau revoked All Weather Roofing’s accreditation after the company failed to respond to a string of complaints. The Alabama Home Builder Licensure Board has said it is aware of the reports and is reviewing consumer complaints of its own.
Both companies are linked to Ward Fendley and his wife, Theresa Fendley, according to Better Business Bureau records and Alabama Secretary of State filings. Theresa Fendley is listed as the designated qualifying representative for All Weather Roofing and Construction LLC on the Alabama Home Builder Licensure Board’s website.
What Happens Next
City officials confirmed that a letter was delivered to the Fendleys more than three weeks ago, giving them notice of the public hearing. Under city procedure, business owners must be given the chance to attend and present their side. The Fendleys did not appear at Tuesday’s hearing.
No criminal charges have been filed against either of them at this point. The council took no vote Tuesday. The business license remains on hold, and the revocation decision is scheduled for the July 21 meeting.
Mobile homeowners who believe they were affected by All Weather Roofing and Construction LLC or Window Depot USA of Mobile are asked to contact the Mobile Police Department.
A Reminder for Homeowners Hiring Contractors
Cases like this one tend to follow a pattern that residents can learn to spot. Before writing a deposit check, homeowners can verify a contractor’s standing with the Alabama Home Builder Licensure Board, check for an active Better Business Bureau record, ask for a written contract with a firm completion schedule, and be cautious about large up-front payments. Paying by credit card rather than cash or check can also preserve options for a chargeback if the work is never performed.
Update: Victims Ask Mobile City Council for ‘Swift and Stiff Penalties’
The Mobile City Council held a public hearing on the fraud allegations, where combat veteran Eric Nelson told council members he never imagined retiring in Mobile only to find himself fighting fraud. Nelson asked the city to revoke the businesses’ licenses and to pass local consumer protection laws. “There should be swift and stiff penalties for owners and employees who engage in this level of fraud,” Nelson said.
Katie Morrison, who has represented more than 100 of the victims in dealings with the city, told council members the losses have hit families across the community, including a 91-year-old widow. “These are people who spent years saving their money only to see it disappear,” Morrison said. “This is not simply a collection of unhappy customers. This has affected more than 100 Mobile families who have taken the time to file police reports.”
According to business records, Window Depot USA of Mobile and All Weather Roofing and Construction LLC are owned by the same person and share the same address; both are listed as “permanently closed” online. All Weather Roofing currently holds a valid Mobile business license, while Window Depot USA of Mobile does not. City officials confirmed the companies also operated in other Alabama counties. No representative of either company appeared at the public hearing, and reporters were unable to reach either business for comment.
Update: City Council Votes Unanimously to Revoke Business License
The Mobile City Council followed through on its warning, voting unanimously this week to revoke the business license held by the roofing and window operation at the center of the fraud investigation. City officials called it an “uncharted” and “unprecedented” step for the council to take.
“This is unchartered territory for a lot of us,” said Curtis Graves, the city’s executive director of public safety. “Business owners in general are good. They understand that to stay in business, you have to treat customers with respect and dignity. This is something totally different.”
City leaders now estimate that roughly 108 people have been victimized by the two businesses, which operated out of a now-shuttered building on the West I-65 Service Road. Graves said investigators believe total customer losses fall between $900,000 and $1 million for roofing and window work that was paid for but never completed.
“No one wants to revoke a business license,” Graves said. “The City Council does not. I believe that this unprecedented situation warranted that decision.”
The revocation covers both the roofing company and the window business, even though the window operation’s license had already lapsed earlier this year and was never renewed. Councilman Josh Woods said an attorney representing the couple who owns the businesses had notified the city by letter that the roofing license would be voluntarily surrendered, but that surrender had not happened by the time the council voted.
“No one in the city has the license in hand,” Woods said. “Today’s action with revoking it nullifies that the license is still out there.”
Woods noted the council’s action only affects the ability to operate within Mobile city limits and does not reach other Alabama communities where the couple has previously done business. He said the volume of complaints from residents pushed the council to act.
“The citizens of Mobile came down and made us aware of the situation,” Woods said. “We took action.”
Graves said the criminal investigation continues with no set completion date. “We are still working on their case to bring everything together and present to the District Attorney’s Office,” he said.
Update: Investigation Remains Open as Detectives Contact Victims
With the license revocation now final, city officials say the criminal side of the case is far from finished. Graves confirmed that investigators have not yet handed the case file to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, and detectives have been reaching out to victims directly by email to let them know the investigation is still active while the case is assembled for prosecutors.
Graves also cautioned that losing the Mobile business license does not, by itself, stop the people behind All Weather Roofing and Window Depot USA from seeking a new business license in the city in the future. Any such application would be handled separately from the criminal investigation, which police say continues with no target date for completion.