The owner of a contracting company who swindled dozens of Ironton residents out of money was granted a judicial release on Wednesday, but he won’t be walking out of prison a free man.

According to J. Bartley Cosgrove, assistant Ohio attorney general, said Leo Patrick Richard II, was granted the release, but will be transferred to Missouri due to a detainer hold. Cosgrove said Richard’s history of home repair businesses started in Missouri with a business called All Seasons Contracting, Inc.

Locally, Richard, of Manhattan, Illinois, was the owner of All Seasons of Kentucky.

He was sentenced by Judge D. Scott Bowling on Jan. 7 for charges of third-degree engaging in a pattern of a corrupt activity, 11 fourth-degree counts of theft from the elderly and two fourth- and 22 fifth-degree counts of theft.

He was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a total of $143,426 in restitution to 35 victims in the home repair case.

To date, Richard has paid just over $61,500, about 43 percent.

Cosgrove also said Richard would be placed on probation in Lawrence County with the goal of getting more restitution paid during that time.

Richard and his wife, Carol, were indicted on more than 100 criminal acts in November 2013 following a months-long investigation by the Ironton Police Department and Ohio Attorney General’s Office into allegations the company was paid for home repair services but did not perform any or all of the work they were hired to do.

Carol Richard was sentenced in October to four years community control sanctions after pleading guilty to a count of third-degree attempted engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. She was also ordered jointly to pay restitution.

The Missouri Attorney General filed a lawsuit against All Seasons Contracting in 2013. According to the AG’s office, after a series of strong storms hit the St. Louis area in the spring of 2012, All Seasons sent salesmen door-to-door offering homeowners free inspections and quotes for repairs, and offering to help homeowners file claims with their insurance companies, similarly to what happened in Ironton.

The suit alleges the defendants took at least $37,000 as down payments from six homeowners, promising that work would begin within weeks.  The total amount, once all consumers are known, could be much more.  A year later, the defendants have allegedly refused to begin any of the work or provide refunds to their victims.

The lawsuit also takes aim at All Seasons Contracting for allegedly making dozens of unlawful and unsolicited telemarketing calls to Missourians on the no-call list.