Convicted Con Artist Brian Krafton Strikes Again

A convicted con artist is back in jail, accused of fraud while still in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Brian Krafton, 45, has been convicted several times of scamming people in both Oklahoma and Cleveland counties. According to this latest charge, he tried to scam a local business owner out of hundreds of dollars.

And each time his parents try to defend him and cover his tracks.

News 9 approached Krafton' parents as they were leaving the business he is accused of swindling. When asked why they continue to try to cover for him, they said, “There is a lot of good in him and he helps a lot of people.”

But Krafton is no stranger to News 9. We have met countless customers that he is accused of ripping off through the years.

DOC records show he is serving multiple prison terms for embezzlement, bogus checks and obtaining money by false pretense.  But investigators confirm he is out on early release with an ankle monitor.

Krafton has also been investigated by the Oklahoma Attorney General. He is still facing more than a dozen private lawsuits filed by numerous unhappy customers who say he scammed them out of thousands of dollars in numerous home roofing scams. He even placed an ad on Craigslist begging for help and money for him and his family back in November of 2010.

11/22/2010 Related Story: Wanted Con Artists Working To Scam Oklahoma On Craigslist Again

News 9 confronted his mother at their Edmond home back then too. And each time his parents try to defend his actions.

“He helps a lot of people,” said his mother, Fran.

But our records show he has scammed a lot of people, more than he's helped them.

Jerry Stow, who owns Stow’s office furniture, says Krafton bought a copy machine and a few more items on July 6, and wrote a check to them for about $600. Krafton then quickly put a stop payment on it and then refused to return the merchandise.

“He just got out in January. He's on pre-release,” said Stow. “There's two other reports with Edmond, and now he's got this one, and yet his parents don't think he has done [nothing] wrong.”

Stow says Krafton's parents pleaded to drop the charges. That will be up to the district attorney to decide.

Krafton is currently being held on a $4,000 bond in the Oklahoma County Jail on a complaint of obtaining money by trick or deception. But he does have a hold for an out of state warrant.