He'd string us along and go months without communication.

The thing that finally got him to respond was me sending him a photo of like 100 documents I'd compiled in a folder saying I was on my way to the police (which I was), and because of the scope and the intent, it was going to be classified as fraud and he'd be put in prison. I can't remember what those designators were that pushed it into the fraud territory, but that got his attention. He called me immediately.

We still had to fight with him every step of the way and finally cut our losses and tell him to you know what. I'm sure he was into meth and who knows what else. When he'd get a pay check he'd disappear for weeks until he was out of money again.

Landscapers are notorious for this. The good ones are expensive and booked out a long way. The ones that are available soon and/or a lot cheaper than the other options are that way for a reason.

Oh, and when he was giving me a bid, he announced he was a Mormon at one time but had converted to be a Jew. He said he was the "most honest Jew in Utah." Weird thing to say, and man, I sure hope that's not the case.