A woman has been found guilty by a Cowlitz County Superior Court jury of committing a scam in 2022.

On September 2nd, after a two-day trial, Stacy Estes was found guilty of Forgery, two counts of first-degree theft, and two counts of First-Degree Criminal Impersonation for fraudulently convincing the victims to pay her $45,000 to put a garage on their property.

The Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office says that back on May 21st, 2022, Estes met with the victim and introduced herself using her mother’s name rather than her own. During that time, she claimed to be the owner of a business called “Cowlitz Construction.” She provided a bid for the garage, and the victim accepted it. This led to the victim writing a check for $10,000, which Estes deposited and signed under her mother’s name. The victim met Estes again in December of 2022 and paid her another $35,400.

After paying Estes, the victim and his wife observed that the incorrect area had been dug up during construction. The victims contacted Estes and determined that she planned to build the shop in a location that was not previously agreed upon. Estes told the victims that she would put the shop where they wanted it, but it would require an additional $16,000. When they refused, she hung up the phone and refused to return any of the money.

The incident led to an investigation by Cowlitz County Detective Riley McNeal, who discovered that the number provided to the victim actually belonged to Stacy Estes rather than her mother. Eventually, McNeal interviewed Estes, where she told him that she did not operate “Cowlitz Construction” and actually worked sporadically as an office assistant. She told him the company was owned and operated by her mother, who lived in Minnesota. She admitted to collecting the checks and depositing them.