CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (KELO.com) — An Iowa federal court has sentenced a Montana man in a derecho repair scheme. William Allen Hurlbut admitted to coming to Iowa after an August 2020 derecho swept through the area. The windstorm left over 1,000 housing units unlivable in Cedar Rapids alone. Hurlbut promised his victim he would repair the home once insurance advanced funds. The victim, who uses a wheelchair on account of physical disabilities, advanced him more than $10,000. The investigation revealed that, over a two week period in October 2020, Hurlbut spent more than $22,000 gambling at an Iowa casino. He did not have a contractor license, but obtained a cell phone number with a local area code to conduct business. Along with his prison sentence, Hurlbut was ordered to make $15,892.79 in restitution to his victim.
