Plea announced in Oklahoma tornado shelter embezzlement case

William Stephens

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The owner of a tornado shelter manufacturing company will have to pay more than $101,000 in restitution to customers who paid for the structures his company never installed.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced Monday that William Stephens pleaded no contest to six counts of embezzlement and one count of having a pattern of criminal offenses. Stephens was also given a five-year deferred sentence.

An investigation by Hunter’s office began after it received multiple complaints by customers who claimed they paid Stephens partially or in full for storm shelters that were never installed.

Investigators say when work wasn’t completed and victims tried to contact the company, Stephens would give excuses and eventually stopped responding to the complaints.