Construction permit revoked by Frankfurt after customer complaints

FRANKFORT, IL — A Frankfort-area contractor who clients say did shoddy work, left jobs unfinished or took their money has been banned from working in the town.

Contractor Aaron McMann, who operated under the name Chi-Line Construction, is no longer allowed to operate in Frankfort after the town revoked his business license. Several complaints have been filed against him with the Illinois Attorney General.

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However, some former clients say he still finds ways to do projects in the area, and they hope that by going to the media, they can bring his scam to the attention of others and stop using him or his company.

Frankfort residents Amy and Steve O’Donnell were two of McMann’s clients. Amy told Patch that McMann stole nearly $43,000 from the couple.

“We were in the process of finishing our basement,” Amy told Patch, adding that they received a quote from McMann in December 2022 and signed a contract in February 2023.

One of the reasons the couple decided to hire McMann was because he could provide financing. Amy said they were pre-approved for $85,000 for the project.

“Everything looked great beforehand,” Amy said.

Amy said McMann told them that when the financing company called them, they should tell the company they were satisfied with the work. This would allow the money to be released to McMann, who, according to Amy, told the couple he would give them a cashier’s check for 50 percent of the total loan, and that they could pay him back in installments as the work was completed.

“I felt a little uncomfortable about it,” Amy said. The problems started soon after.

According to Amy, McMann took days or even weeks to respond, and when he did, he promised the couple things that would never happen.

“He would ‘compensate’ us for the problems we already had,” Amy said. “He would try to sweet talk us and say he would give us some stuff for free.”

The carpenters showed up to frame the O’Donnells’ basement, but the job was done incorrectly, the couple said. The couple said subcontractors told them they hadn’t been paid by McMann, so they couldn’t do the basement work. The cabinets also couldn’t be released, the O’Donnells said, because McMann owed money to the company that sold them.

The project was supposed to be completed in May. In September, with the project still not completed, the couple contacted the village and filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General.

“If we don’t do anything, he’s going to keep doing this,” she told Patch.

Frankfort attorney Rob Piscia confirmed to Patch that McMann’s business license in Frankfort has been “suspended until he addresses the complaints filed against him.”

The Will County sheriff’s office told Patch that the complaints it received about McMann were turned over to the attorney general’s office as of July 5.

“We have concluded our investigation into these matters,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that all information would come from the attorney general’s civil division.

Patch has reached out to the Illinois Attorney General but has not yet received a response.

There is currently one open case in Will County against McMann and Chi-Line Construction, according to the Will County Circuit Court website. The plaintiff is L&W Supply Corporation, a building materials supplier.

The case was opened in May and is for arbitration for $10,000 to $15,000. The case is scheduled for a status hearing on August 16.

Another case is in the court system, between McMann and Chi-Line Construction and Schilling Brothers Lumber. That case was filed in August 2023 and the verdict was handed down in January, according to court records.

The judgment was entered “jointly and severally” against both McMann and Chi-Line for $168,719.93. That case is scheduled to go to trial Tuesday for a citation and motions.

Patch reached out to McMann via email, but he said he had no comment.