An Indiana teenage landscaping entrepreneur put $15,000 into a cleaning-business deal that promised him $20,000 after four months. The agreement named a management company that had already been administratively dissolved for more than four years, according to records from the Indiana Secretary of State.
The teenager also reported trouble collecting payment on a separate deal to sell his landscaping business, according to a Westfield police affidavit reviewed by Current Publishing.
Damien Paul Merriweather, 35, now faces 23 criminal charges, including securities fraud, theft, money laundering and corrupt business influence. The case broadened beyond the teenager’s complaint to include other alleged investors and people who said they performed work without getting paid.
Merriweather was booked into Hamilton County Jail on Oct. 13, 2026, according to the sheriff’s booking record. The public court summary confirms the case was filed in Hamilton Superior Court 1 on Oct. 12 and remained pending in its Oct. 18 printout.
A Landscaping Job Led to a Cleaning-Business Investment
In May 2025, Merriweather contacted the teenager for a landscaping estimate and agreed to hire him, according to Westfield Police Detective Don Bennett’s probable-cause affidavit as reported by Current Publishing. Their conversations continued after the job, with Merriweather presenting himself as another small-business owner.
He described an investment in commercial cleaning under the JAN-PRO name. The agreement identified 360 Management Services LLC as the entity managing the proposed JAN-PRO franchise operations. The promised payment would have given the teenager a $5,000 gain, about one-third of the original contribution.
The Company Named in the Agreement Had Been Dissolved Since 2021
Indiana’s business registry lists 360 Management Services LLC under business ID 201806171263469. The entity was formed on June 17, 2018, and its status is recorded as “Admin Dissolved,” effective Feb. 5, 2021. That date precedes the teenager’s 2025 investment arrangement by more than four years. Administrative dissolution is a business-registration status; it does not, by itself, establish criminal intent in any investment agreement.
The $115,000 Buyout Offer Came With a Returned $60,000 Check
As the deadline for his investment return neared, Merriweather allegedly offered to purchase the teenager’s landscaping company. The parties signed another contract, and Merriweather issued a check for the first $60,000 of the proposed purchase price, according to the affidavit account.
That check was returned for insufficient funds. The teenager said Merriweather then became hard to contact and repeatedly explained why he was unable to make the agreed payments. On Feb. 26, 2026, the boy, then 16, reported the matter to Westfield police with his parents and an attorney.
Another Investor Reported $100,000 as Police Traced Transfers
Detectives identified other people who said they entered financial arrangements with Merriweather. One reported investing $100,000. Others described providing landscaping or cleaning services for which they had not been compensated, according to Bennett’s affidavit as reported by Current Publishing.
Bennett alleged that bank records showed investment proceeds moving rapidly from business accounts into other accounts, including a checking account Merriweather shared with his romantic partner. He also described incoming investor money being used to repay earlier investors who had threatened police involvement or pursued small-claims litigation.
The affidavit account connected some of the transferred funds to personal expenses, including food delivery, OnlyFans charges, apartment rent, spa services and a golf cart. Bennett said bank statements and iMessages supported the described transfers.
The Court Lists 21 Felonies, Two Misdemeanors and Cash-Only Bail
The public Indiana MyCase summary identifies 29D01-2610-F5-009278 as the Hamilton Superior Court 1 prosecution. It contains 23 filed charges: nine Level 5 felonies, 12 Level 6 felonies and two Class A misdemeanors. The Level 5 counts include securities-related offenses, fraud involving financial institutions, money laundering and corrupt business influence. The remaining counts primarily concern alleged fraud and theft. Some of the securities and money-laundering allegations are dated August 2024, before the teenager’s reported landscaping contact in 2025.
Indiana’s securities registration law generally prohibits sales of securities that are neither registered, federally covered nor exempt. Another provision addresses deceptive practices connected to securities transactions. The money-laundering charge references funds or proceeds valued at $50,000 or more, a statutory charging threshold rather than a separately established victim-loss total.
At Merriweather’s Oct. 14 initial hearing, the judge set $50,000 cash-only bail. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2026, at 9 a.m., with a jury trial scheduled for Jan. 11, 2027, at 8:30 a.m. Merriweather is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
How to Check a Private Investment Before Sending Money
A prospective investor can search the exact legal name of a company through the Indiana Secretary of State, check whether its registration is active and compare the registered entity with the name in the contract. Anyone offered an investment tied to a franchise should also verify the claimed business relationship independently with the franchise brand, rather than relying solely on a salesperson’s description.
The Securities and Exchange Commission recommends scrutinizing unusually attractive promised returns and verifying the people offering investments. Indiana’s securities search can help assess registration information, though some legitimate offerings qualify for exemptions.
Keep copies of the agreement, payment confirmations, stated repayment terms and communications about how the money will be used. Indiana’s Securities Division accepts reports of suspected investment fraud.