Texas Couple Who 'Pitched Themselves as Chip and Joanna Gaines' Plead Guilty to $5 Million Home Building Scheme By Dave Quinn 160

A Texas couple who federal prosecutors say defrauded dozens of homeowners out of nearly $5 million by promising custom homes and renovations they never finished have pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges.

Christopher Judge and his wife, Raquelle Judge, both of Fort Worth, admitted in federal court that from August 2020 to January 2023 they conspired to deceive customers through their company, Judge DFW LLC, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Prosecutors said the couple collected millions in installment payments for custom architecture, construction and interior design services, often offering below-market bids, before abandoning projects — in some cases leaving families without livable homes.

“[They] started construction projects and accepted multiple installment payments from victims but never completed those projects, often leaving victims without a completed residence” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas said.

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Plea documents viewed by PEOPLE note more than 40 victims across six North Texas counties were affected, spanning at least 24 construction projects, with losses totaling approximately $4.8 million.

One couple, documents show, paid the Judges almost $364,000.

As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Christopher falsely claimed to be a licensed architect, while the couple commingled client payments in a single operating account and used money from one project to fund unrelated jobs.

On Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, Christopher pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Raquelle pleaded guilty on Dec. 17 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to five years behind bars. Both also face restitution, fines and supervised release.

Sentencing for Raquelle is scheduled for April 14, 2026, while Christopher is set to be sentenced May 12, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.

PEOPLE has reached out to legal representatives for both Raquelle and Christopher.

For homeowners, the couple’s guilty pleas marked the culmination of years of financial strain and emotional turmoil.

Kristin Newman told WFAA she hired the Judges to build what she believed would be her dream home after paying off her law school loans. “I was planning on kind of growing into this house,” Newman said.

She explained that Raquelle handled most of the communication, while Christopher was introduced as “the architect and builder.”

That’s the same way another victim — Lane Simmons — and his wife, Kalie Simmons, experienced the Judges when they hired the couple to remodel their Euless family home.

“They came out to our house … and really pitched themselves as like this Chip and Joanna Gaines type of vibe,” Lane shared to WFAA, referencing the Magnolia home-renovation stars.

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Progress on both properties looked good in the beginning. “It started out great,” Newman said, per WFAA. “I had no problems.”

“That first day was so impressive,” Chelle Bish, Kalie’s mom, told NBC-DFW. “They came in with a full crew. They had it stripped down to the studs that first day.”

But that quickly changed. “I would say, a month, maybe two months in, things started slowing down quite a bit and we were already worried about some quality stuff that my husband and dad had pointed out,” Kalie said, according to NBC-DFW.

Newman’s dream home also turned into a nightmare, she explained to WFAA. Construction delays mounted. Items she paid for, like windows and doors, never arrived. When she asked for money back for missing items and work that had not yet been completed, she said Christopher told her the funds were gone.

Soon, Christopher stopped answering her questions all together. “He just walked off,” Newman said, according to WFAA. “He just stopped talking to us. Never came back.”

Federal court records describe those actions as part of the couple’s “pattern of conduct,” alleging they collected installment payments, failed to complete work, did substandard construction and did not pay subcontractors.

Prosecutors alleged that when victims questioned delays, Christopher made excuses via calls and text messages, assuring them that continued payments would keep projects moving.

Instead, court records say the Judges spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on personal expenses, including $27,000 on mortgage payments, $82,000 on Amazon purchases and approximately $10,000 on plastic surgery.

Both Newman and the Simmons’ hired independent inspectors. In the Simmons home, the contractor found numerous code violations including unsafe framing. The front and back decks and interior stairwell had to be torn out and rebuilt. “This is like the worst job I’ve probably ever seen,” Lane recalls being told by the inspector. “My house — everything that they did is wrong.”

Newman spent $200K — in addition to the $200K she paid the Judges — to complete and repair the home, NBC-DFW reported. “Ultimately, they only got to framing and putting a roof on the house” she said.

She’s since sold the home and moved in with her parents.

Jeremy Congleton, another victim, told NBC-DFW that he had to file bankruptcy after the Judges abandoned his project. His family of four spent 18 months living in an RV while he completed the construction on his house himself.

“What he owes me and what we’ve paid out of pocket and credit card debt, having to file bankruptcy, about $250,000,” Congleton said to the outlet.

All the victims who spoke to NBC-DFW said they believe most of their money is gone for good, but expressed relief that the couple will no longer be able to take on new clients.

And Lane hopes their story serves as a warning to others, WFAA reported — specifically urging homeowners to see significantly lower bids from contractors as warning signs.

“If somebody’s cheap, it’s probably for a reason,” he said.