WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, TEXAS – The West University father and developer who went missing for days over the summer is accused of faking his disappearance in an elaborate fraud scheme to steal money from investors and home buyers, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Harris County.
Brett Detamore, 38, appeared to have disappeared after leaving his home on June 21.
“I got called the day after (he went missing) by one of my clients and he said, ‘I need to retain you. I think my homebuilder may be dead’,” attorney Butch Boyd told only KPRC 2.
RELATED: West University area man’s disappearance may have been planned, police suspect no foul play
Others shared that concern as the disappearance sparked a search by volunteers from Texas EquuSearch. Detamore’s missing flyer was posted all over social media.
But after almost a week, investigators said Detamore emailed his wife and was found at a bus stop in San Antonio.
“His scheme was ‘burned down’ and exposed,” the lawsuit claims.
West University Police Department Chief Ken Walker said after Detamore was found: “We have absolutely no information that would indicate that foul play was involved. We do have some information that indicates it may have been pre-planned.”
The police department confirmed to KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry on Thursday evening that an active criminal investigation of Detamore is underway regarding reports of alleged fraud involving multiple complainants, but additional details weren’t shared “to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
At the beginning of the search for Detamore, his approximately $100,000 Dodge truck was found burned out in Bear Creek Park.
Houston Fire Department arson investigators have determined that the fire was deliberately set, but a spokesperson said Thursday evening that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue charges because there was no complainant and the vehicle was paid off.
Detamore and his development company are facing two civil lawsuits, both filed Wednesday in Harris County, alleging theft, fraud, breach of contract, conspiracy, and more.
“My clients were in the dark just like a lot of people until the disappearance,” Boyd said. “They had no clue.”
Boyd represents a client who is invested in two properties with Detamore, in which Detamore was supposed to manage the construction and complete the homes, Boyd said.
“As part of the interim financing for the construction of the new homes, Detamore would take out periodic money draws that were supposed to be used for construction and materials for the homes,” according to one of the lawsuits. “In reality, Defendants misappropriated and stole much of the cash that was supposed to be used ... and created fake invoices.”
The lawsuit alleges the money was instead used for Detamore’s personal gain to fund a “lavish lifestyle.”
“It was big-time sporting events, World Series games, Super Bowls, concerts, you know? Exotic vacations,” Boyd said.
The lawsuit claims Detamore “flaunted his ability to defraud innocent victims” by displaying a license plate that read “HIDEIT” on the back of his family’s Cadillac Escalade.
The “lavish lifestyle” also included a second home in Galveston worth more than $1 million, according to the lawsuit.
“My clients, if you ask them, the answers might be different, ranging from we want our money back, to we think he belongs in jail,” Boyd said.
Houston-based Western Pacific Building Materials also sued Detamore and his development company on Wednesday, alleging they ordered supplies for at least three home projects totaling at least $41,415.72 but the bill never got paid.
“Anytime you have a financial fraud case, they’re complex,” Boyd said.
Boyd told only KPRC 2 he plans to file additional lawsuits on behalf of other clients in the future.
“The beauty for us is, by representing multiple plaintiffs and victims, we’ve got all their records so we can cross-reference, which is how we found the fake invoices because we had it for one client. And then we’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this is over here for another client.’ And then we talked to somebody who was in the construction of these houses,” Boyd said.
An attorney for the Detamore family wrote in a statement to KPRC 2 that the allegations in the lawsuits are still being reviewed.
“The events of the last few months have been tragic and unfortunately the subject of much public speculation and rumor. Mr. Detamore is getting the help he needs, and the entire Detamore family requests privacy at this time,” the statement read.
In the days around Detamore’s June disappearance, KPRC 2 reviewed at least two lawsuits related to financial agreements that were filed in New York against him and his development company. The status of those cases was not clear at the time of this writing.