CLEVELAND, Ohio – A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted a homebuilder Thursday on charges that he bilked customers and investors out of nearly $3 million across Northeast Ohio.

Jeffrey Crawford, 51, of Avon faces more than two dozen felony counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, aggravated theft and money laundering.

“Jeffrey Crawford is a con artist,” county Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement. “We believe that there are likely more victims of Crawford in Northeast Ohio.”

Prosecutors said the schemes began in July 2021 when Crawford, who owns Cleveland Custom Homes, was contracted to build three homes in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties valued between $600,000 and $1.3 million.

Crawford then submitted forged documents to banks, claiming construction work w

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