Follow Up Investigation Completed: Chestertown Man Convicted Of Operating Without Home Improvement License
Eastern Shore Undercover recently published a press release from the Queen Anne's County State's Attorney's Office regarding the conviction of George Edward Kennedy for operating without a home improvement license. Following publication, Kennedy contacted Eastern Shore Undercover and requested the article be removed. Eastern Shore Undercover declined, noting its policy of not removing published articles.
Kennedy then engaged directly with our community in the comments section, presenting himself as a victim and suggesting he had done nothing wrong. A number of commenters echoed that sentiment, arguing the article was unfair and that Kennedy was simply trying to provide for his family.
In response to the volume of questions and public discussion, Eastern Shore Undercover submitted a FOIA request, and have now reviewed the entire case, in detail to provide clarity for our community.
What the Investigation Revealed?
The review uncovered several significant findings. First victim, being the original paving company. Kennedy used the name of a legitimate paving company under false pretenses to solicit work for himself.
Records confirm that Kennedy has never held a license with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission as a Contractor, Sub-Contractor, or Salesman. (See Document Below)
In this case, Kennedy collected $1,622 from a homeowner for paving work. The quality of that work, documented in photographs below, fell well short of acceptable standards. To say that the work was subpar would be one of the most drastic understatements of 2026!
The original paving company, whose name Kennedy had misappropriated, learned of the situation and took action. As a reputable business, the company dispatched its own crew to the victim's property and redid the work entirely at no charge to the client.
That effort cost the company approximately $2,500 out of pocket to fix the job done by Kennedy. There are victims in this case but Kennedy is not one of them.
Additionally, it was said that during court Kennedy was given probation before judgement. That is also not true. Kennedy was found guilty and was sentenced to 6 months in jail, with the entire sentence being suspended. Kennedy was also placed on unsupervised probation for a period of 12-months.
Why Was This Incident Published?
Eastern Shore Undercover publishes reports of this nature to keep the community informed and to prevent additional residents from falling victim to the same individual. There may be other victims who have not yet come forward.
If so, this coverage is intended to give those individuals an opportunity to do so.
In this case, Kennedy collected payment for work he was not legally licensed to perform. The completed job was, by any reasonable assessment, of poor quality (Photos Posted Below).
What Homeowners Should Know
When a homeowner hires a licensed home improvement contractor, they are protected by the MHIC. A fund is in place that reimburses homeowners for actual monetary losses up to $30,000 caused by subpar, incomplete, or abandoned work performed by licensed contractors.
Licensed contractors are required to pay into this fund. Hiring an unlicensed contractor provides no such protection. Kennedy has never held any license with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, therefore, any work that he completes or has completed, would leave the property owner without any protection.
Supporting documents obtained through a FOIA request, along with photographs of the completed work, have been included with this report. The paving company that bore the cost of correcting Kennedy's work lost not only the original sale but also spent $2,500 making things right for the victim, an expense it absorbed willingly.
Kennedy misrepresented the truth throughout this matter. He was not licensed, yet he performed the work and accepted payment.
The homeowner, the paving company, and potentially other unnamed individuals bear the real costs of his actions. Again, view the photos and tell me if you would be satisfied with the work that was completed!
