A Fort Worth couple posing as an architecture and interior design team is facing prison.

According to a release from the Department of Justice, husband-and-wife Christopher and Raquelle Judge of Fort Worth bilked customers out of nearly $5 million for unfinished custom home building and remodeling projects.

The couple were managing members of Judge DFW LLC (“Judge DFW Group”), a company that claimed to design and build custom homes, and sell real estate in Texas.

Each defendant admitted that, from approximately August 2020 to January 2023, they conspired through Judge DFW to defraud consumers by purporting to offer custom architecture, construction, and interior design/décor services that they never completed. They also falsely represented that Christopher Judge was an architect.

As part of the scheme, victims received below-market bids from Judge DFW and signed design-and-build contracts for the work. The defendants started construction projects and accepted multiple installment payments from victims, but never finished those projects, often leaving victims without a completed residence.

Plea documents reflect that the defendants defrauded more than 40 victims residing in six Northern District of Texas counties, involving at least 24 different construction projects.

Court records also show that the defendants commingled victims’ installment payments in the primary Judge DFW operating account, frequently using individual victim installment payments for unrelated construction projects. The alleged loss amount totaled approximately $4.8 million.

On December 30, Christopher Judge pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Raquelle Judge pled guilty on December 17 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which will subject her to a maximum of five years in federal prison.

They also face monetary penalties, restitution, and terms of supervised release.

Sentencing for Raquelle Judge is scheduled for April 14, 2026. Sentencing for Christopher Judge is scheduled for May 12, 2026. Both sentencing hearings will occur before United States District Judge Terry R. Means.