MASON, Ohio -- A contractor convicted of stealing from Tri-State seniors is back in jail, and a prosecutor says there are likely more victims.
James Boswell was charged in July with stealing from 97-year-old Butler County resident Mary Jane Davis by forcing her to pay him nearly $3,500 for paving work he started on her driveway but never finished.
In November, Boswell pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft.
But Boswell has been charged in similar cases since. Earlier this month, he tricked an older woman into paying him $2,400 for tree trimming work he didn't finish, according to Hamilton County court records. He was charged with two counts of theft in that case.
In Mason, Boswell was accused of stealing $10,000 from a senior couple in December. Their caregiver told the I-Team that Boswell started -- but didn't finish -- siding and painting work.
Boswell approached those victims just 16 days after the Butler County judge put him on probation in November for stealing from Davis, according to court records.
Court records also show Boswell has spent time behind bars in three states.
"What we have are serial scammers," Gloria Sigman previously said. "We have prosecutor contractors who have committed the same.”
Sigman prosecuted Boswell in Butler County last year. She works with the Crimes Against the Elderly Task Force that Prosecutor Michael Gmoser established in 2011.
"I'm a voice for all the older people that get hurt," she previously said.
Sigman called Boswell's cycles through the justice system an example of how punishments for crimes against the "elderly" aren't strong enough.
She also said Boswell's involvement in cases in Mason and Hamilton County are clear violations of the terms of his probation in Butler County.
Deputies arrested Boswell Monday night. A judge told Boswell at his November sentencing that if he violates his probation, he could face jail time.
Boswell's attorney wrote in an email that he's looking into the new allegations, and reiterated that Boswell is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
On Friday, a judge will determine if Boswell will stay in jail for violating his probation. Until then, he's being held with no bond.
Brittany Bennett, the prosecutor in Mason, said she planned to check on the outcome of the Butler County hearing, and then will likely issue a bench warrant for Boswell's arrest. She said she intends to send the case to a Warren County grand jury regardless of what happens in the other cases.
