CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that a Cuyahoga County grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jeffrey Crawford, 51, for two northeast Ohio schemes that totaled nearly $3 million beginning in July 2021. Investigators believe additional victims of the schemes are likely to be out there.

“Jeffrey Crawford is a con artist. I want to personally thank the United States Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force, and our law enforcement partners for their diligent work investigating this case. We believe that there are likely more victims of Jeffrey Crawford in Northeast Ohio. If you believe you are a victim or have any information, please contact the USSS Money Laundering Task Force at 216.750.2058.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

Beginning in July 2021, Jeffrey Crawford, who owns Cleveland Custom Homes, engaged in transactions with clients to build three homes in Cuyahoga County and Lorain County. The three homes were valued at approximately $1.3 million, $650,000 and $600,000. As part of the building process, the home loans required Jeffrey Crawford to sign and submit documentation to the banks confirming that the work from one phase of building to the next phase of building was completed and that the contractors building the homes were paid. This documentation had to be submitted before the banks released the next portion of the loan to Jeffrey Crawford and Cleveland Custom Homes.

As part of the scheme, Crawford fraudulently forged and submitted these documents to the banks claiming the building work was completed and that the contractors had been paid. The work on the three homes had not been completed and the contractors were not paid. Jeffrey Crawford would then use the next portion of loan funds for work on other projects or personal expenditures.

Beginning in February 2023, Jeffrey Crawford, through his company Cleveland Custom Homes, took money from three individuals in Cuyahoga County, Lorain County, and Trumbull County. He took the money as investments in his business with a promise to repay the investments with a profit. The investments were for $50,000, $300,000, and $80,000, totaling $430,000 from the three investors. As part of the scheme, Crawford then failed to repay the investments and provided some investors checks that subsequently bounced.

The two schemes totaled $2.93 million and included six victims. The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force , Westlake Police Department, and the Amherst Police Department.

Investigators believe that more victims of the schemes are likely. If you have any information and/or believe you are a victim of Jeffrey Crawford or Cleveland Custom Homes, please contact the USSS Money Laundering Task Force at 216.750.2058.

On September 25, 2025, Jeffrey Crawford was indicted on the following charges:

  • Two counts of Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity (F1 and F2)
  • Four counts of Aggravated Theft (F2 and F3)
  • Three counts of Telecommunications Fraud (F1 and F2)
  • Three counts of Tampering with Records (F3)
  • Three counts of Forgery (F3)
  • One count of Theft From a Person in a Protected Class (F2)
  • Three counts of Securing Writings by Deception (F2, F3, and F4)
  • Seven counts of Passing Bad Checks (F4 and F5)
  • One count of Grand Theft (F4)
  • Two counts of Money Laundering (F3)

He will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.