MITCHELL — A multi-agency investigation into a home improvement contractor has resulted in probable cause allegations of theft and racketeering against a former general manager accused of pocketing tens of thousands of dollars from a local homeowner while diverting over $500,000 in business funds.
John D. Sanford, 39, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, faces allegations stemming from an Indiana State Police investigation into C&K Home Improvements.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Indiana State Police Detective Kent Rohlfing, the investigation began in December 2025 when Mitchell residents reported paying $75,400 to C&K Home Improvements for an addition to their home on Cassidy Lane.
The homeowner reported that he initially met with Sanford in July 2025. Sanford presented an estimate of $149,000 for the project and provided a business card listing himself as the owner of C&K Home Improvements. Between July and October 2025, the homeowner issued payments totaling $75,400 to C&K Home Improvements via check, wire transfer, and cashier’s check, all communicated through or handed directly to Sanford.
Work on the property abruptly stalled in October 2025 after concrete was poured. Subcontractors hired for the job informed the homeowner they had not been paid by C&K Home Improvements and refused to continue work. While $7,770.36 was paid to a concrete supplier, detectives noted that sub-subcontractors remained unpaid and $67,629.64 of Stevens’ payments remained completely unaccounted for.
When the homeowner pressed for an itemized receipt, Sanford allegedly threatened to place a mechanic’s lien on the home before informing the homeowner on Oct. 22, 2025, that he no longer worked for the company.
During the investigation, detectives determined that the actual owner of C&K Home Improvements is Christopher Thompson, who operates the company out of Jeffersonville, Indiana. Thompson stated he hired Sanford as general manager in late 2024 to oversee daily operations, client management, and subcontractor payments.
Thompson informed investigators that after reviewing the company’s US Bank business account, he discovered approximately $538,443.82 in unauthorized mobile bank transfers sent from the C&K business account directly to Sanford’s personal US Bank account between June 2025 and February 2026. Thompson stated these frequent transfers were never authorized, and whenever he confronted Sanford about the funds, Sanford reacted with extreme anger and threatened to abandon active projects.
Former C&K employees also told investigators they had accompanied Sanford to a casino in Louisville, Kentucky, where they witnessed him withdraw large sums of cash from an ATM using the business card to gamble.
Multi-State Fraud Inquiry
When interviewed by police alongside his attorney in May 2026, Sanford claimed he was only a manager and denied misappropriating funds. Sanford argued that the account transfers were for earned commissions, material expenses, and employee wages distributed via Cash App, though he failed to provide documentation verifying the transactions to investigators.
Detectives noted that C&K Home Improvements is currently under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies—including the Indiana State Police Sellersburg Post, Kentucky State Police, Bowling Green Police Department, and Owensboro Police Department—for similar home improvement fraud allegations involving unfinished work and unreturned deposits across Indiana and Kentucky.
Indiana State Police established probable cause that Sanford knowingly defrauded the Mitchell homeowner and engaged in racketeering activities across Lawrence County, Clark County, and Kentucky.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
