Former Provo Business Leaders Face Fraud Charges

Prosecutors allege executives collected over $1 million from customers for unfinished residential court projects.

Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Financial Crime

Bold flat-color editorial illustration showing a skeletal wooden residential frame, symbolizing residential fraud and unfinished construction projects. — Former Provo executives Ryan Wes Jones and Michael Christopher Duckett face felony fraud charges for allegedly abandoning 42 residential construction projects. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Ryan Wes Jones and Michael Christopher Duckett, the former executives of the Provo-based company All-Courts, face multiple felony charges for fraud. Officials allege the pair misused customer deposits to cover personal expenses and debt while failing to complete dozens of construction projects.

Why it matters

The case highlights the risks consumers face when contractors require large upfront payments while operating under financial distress. The charges represent a significant effort to address the financial harm inflicted on 63 local homeowners who were left with incomplete projects.

Ryan Wes Jones and Michael Christopher Duckett each face six counts of communications fraud and two counts of securities fraud in 4th District Court. The charges follow the 2023 revocation of the All-Courts business license.

The players

Ryan Wes Jones

He is a former executive of All-Courts who resides in Elk Ridge, Utah.

Michael Christopher Duckett

He is a former executive of All-Courts who resides in San Tan Valley, Arizona.

Utah Division of Professional Licensing

This state agency regulates business conduct and revoked the license of All-Courts in 2023.

4th District Court

This is the judicial body where the felony fraud charges were officially filed against the defendants.

The details

Prosecutors claim the defendants operated a scheme between 2021 and 2023 that relied on 50% deposits from new clients to pay for prior debts and personal costs. While 63 customers paid the firm, records show that work was never performed on 42 of those residential projects.

All-Courts was established in 2020.
The alleged fraud scheme began in January 2021.
Over 100 projects were unstarted or incomplete by November 2022.
The scheme concluded in August 2023.
State authorities revoked the business license in September 2023.

Legal Context

The charges filed in 4th District Court follow the 2023 revocation of the All-Courts business license, marking a shift from administrative oversight to criminal prosecution. Such cases often follow patterns of consumer fraud where businesses leverage large deposits to mask insolvency.

Residents should remain cautious of contractors requiring significant deposits, especially when a company is reported to have credit holds with suppliers. The case serves as a warning for local homeowners to verify the active status of professional licenses before initiating payments.

The takeaway

Consumers are encouraged to perform thorough background checks on companies before providing large upfront deposits for construction services. Monitoring a business status through state licensing boards can provide early warning signs of financial instability.