SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- A Huron contractor was ordered in court to repay $36,450 to seven individuals in a fraud case, according to a news release from the South Dakota Attorney General's Office.

Julio Morales-Ortiz, 34, was sentenced Tuesday in Beadle County Circuit Court on charge of theft by deception. He was sentenced to 10 years but all 10 years were suspended. Morales-Ortiz was also placed on three years of probation and must serve 15 days in jail.

Seven individuals paid Morales-Ortiz for work that was not done between 2021 and 2023. Morales-Ortiz operated and roofing and painting business.

"When fraudulent contractors and businesses steal from those who hire them, they violate the trust of those who paid them," Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a news release. “This defe

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