A man facing two felony charges for allegedly bilking an elderly Glen Carbon man out of $4,300 is now facing similar charges in St. Clair County.

James Boswell

James Boswell, 32, of the 3100 block of Arlington Street in State Park, was charged with one felony count of aggravated home repair fraud by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney on Jan. 16 for an incident in unincorporated Belleville. Boswell is believed to be part of a large group targeting the elderly in several states, St. Clair County Sheriff Richard Watson said.

On Aug. 8, two man went to a home in 100 block of Harmony Drive in unincorporated Belleville, and asked to refurbish the driveway. The resident agreed but, when the work was completed, she realized it was substandard, police said. The Glen Carbon man who was a victim of a very similar crime, realized the work on his driveway was substandard only after he allegedly paid $4,300 in cash to Boswell.

The men, one of whom was later identified as Boswell, then demanded more money from the victim than was originally agreed. The resident phoned a relative, who contacted police.

Boswell left before police arrived, but was later identified, with the help of Regions Bank, as one of the perpetrators. At the time, Boswell was using the address of his cousin, Noah, who is facing felony theft charges for allegedly defrauding the same Glen Carbon man by manipulating him into paying twice for repairs.

Several attempts to locate Boswell were unsuccessful, until St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department investigator Jason Robertson contacted the Madison County Sheriff’s office on Jan. 15. Boswell was being booked in Madison County at the time of the phone call, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department said.

Already facing a $130,000 bond in Madison County, where he is being held, Boswell’s bond in St. Clair County has been set at $200,000.