Looking back on the theft that Brian Darnell of Prodigy Restoration Group committed when he stole $10,000 from us, beginning with our payment to him of $4,326 on July 31, 2015 for an installation of a picture window and two doors, things become clearer when seen against the backdrop of Brian Darnell’s regular appearances in court.
Beginning with Darnell’s prior business, Darnell Group, and the lawsuit involving Robert Cook vs. Darnell-Group LLC, that was initiated in May of 2014, Brian Darnell has been a regular visitor to various Missouri Civil and Bankruptcy courtrooms. At the time that we were providing Darnell the money to purchase and install the windows and doors his Chapter 13 Bankruptcy proceedings were being challenged by the bankruptcy trustee.
Brian had our payment checked deposited very quickly, we gave him the check on a Friday and the following Monday, August 4th, the money was deposited in his account. That was the last time anything would be done quickly related to the Windows and Doors installation.
For the next month and a half we would patiently wait for Brian Darnell to perform the installation work he had been paid to do but with no sign of the work starting, in September 2015 we began to ask questions. We asked for the name of the supplier of the products and an order number so we could confirm they were ordered. Brian Darnell refused to provide us with the information about our order that we requested.
Darnell’s refusal was a red flag that something wasn’t right. Of course we did not known what was going on with his Bankruptcy at the time. We continued to press Darnell on the matter of the window and door work only to be told he would not do the work unless we paid him money for a Roof Repair, a separate contract we had entered with him prior to discovering he was a dishonest person. Now that Brian Darnell was engaging in extortion we became very concerned.
Unfortunately for us by now it was too late. Brian Darnell would never provide us with the Windows and Doors we had purchased from him. Darnell would never perform the work he had been paid to do. The St. Charles County Missouri Police would file a request for an Arrest Warrant of Brian Darnell, but the matter went to Civil Court where Darnell was found to be in Breach of Contract and we were awarded a judgement of $16,990.
Brian Darnell stopped doing business as Prodigy Restoration Group to avoid paying the judgement and continues to do business now under other names such as Darnel-Group, Darnell Construction, Design-Build St. Louis, and Brian Darnell.
KMOV News Channel 4 investigated and exposed Brian Darnell. Brian Darnell remains in Chapter 13 bankruptcy and remains a frequent guest of the Missouri Court system where the Civil Lawsuit brought by another unsuspecting customer continues to drag on.