Homebuilder gets 3 years for $1.5M theft
Burnet County builder Kerry Mark Carroll, 55, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to theft. He was charged with defrauding over $1.5 million from 10 victims, including clients and subcontractors. Burnet County Jail photo
Burnet County homebuilder Kerry Mark Carroll of K Bar T Custom Homes pleaded guilty to two counts of theft on July 28. He admitted to stealing over $1.5 million from his clients and subcontractors and was sentenced to three years in prison and 10 years’ probation. His probation will depend on his paying back a portion of the money.
Carroll was first arrested in 2021 and charged with a slew of crimes, including several counts of theft of property, misappropriation of trust funds, and theft of services. His 10 victims included clients and subcontractors who worked for him.
“We are 10 individuals — couples and families — that the defendant stole over $1.5 million collectively from us,” reads a quote from one of Carroll’s victims in a media release issued by the 33rd and 424th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. “The defendant took advantage of many of us not being local and not being able to check on things regularly. He took advantage of personal relationships, and he used his supposed belief in God to con folks out of their money.”
Carroll was president of K Bar T Custom Homes, which was based out of Burnet. The company was forfeited in November 2021 amid his indictments.
Assistant District Attorney Bill Price prosecuted the case against Carroll and negotiated a plea agreement that included some restitution. No specific amount was disclosed, but the plea agreement was approved by the victims.
District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee commended Price on his negotiations and condemned Carroll for his actions in a public statement.
“This resolution is intended to punish the defendant and get money back for the people he cheated,” McAfee said. “The people victimized by the defendant, in this case, trusted him with their money, their hopes, and their dreams of having their forever homes. Instead, he stole from them.”
Carroll pleaded guilty in the 33rd Judicial District Court of Burnet County under Judge Allan Garrett. He will serve out his three-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutional Division.