Camden County man charged in dock construction scam

SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. — A man from Camden County has been charged after allegedly taking thousands of dollars for dock construction work that was never completed.

According to online court dockets, Joseph Harrington Fortner, born in 1962, of Sunrise Beach, is charged with stealing $750 or more in Camden County Circuit Court. 

The probable cause statement says that in the spring of 2023, Fortner was hired to perform work on the victim’s Sunrise Beach dock, including removing a swimming platform and adding two dock extensions. 

The victim told law enforcement he was quoted $13,000 for the project and paid $6,000 upfront.

In June of 2024, the victim contacted Fortner about completing the job, and at that time, Fortner allegedly denied providing the $13,000 estimate and instead quoted a new price of $27,000, per the statement. 

Fortner requested an additional $7,000 and $4,067.86 in materials, which the victim allowed to be charged on his credit card at a business in Osage Beach, the statement says. 

The victim reported he had no further contact with Fortner after June 2024 and called law enforcement in September. A detective reached out to Fortner, who reportedly said he had other clients with emergencies and that the victim’s issues were “cosmetic,” not structural, according to the statement.

Fortner also told law enforcement he would complete the work when he was able.

As of April this year, no additional work had been done and Fortner had not contacted the victim, the statement alleges. The victim told law enforcement he fired Fortner and wanted his money back.  

Law enforcement instructed Fortner to return the purchased supplies or reimburse the victim, but as of June of this year, that had not occurred.

A warrant has been issued for Fortner's arrest.