Houston-area couple accused of gambling away client money in home renovation scheme faced judge overnight

HOUSTON – A Houston-area couple, accused of taking thousands of dollars from home renovation clients and never finishing the work, are now answering to a judge.

Aleck Steven Miller, 55, and Andrea Pierce Miller, 52, were arrested Thursday and faced a judge in probable cause court.

SEE ALSO: Katy ISD teacher and husband arrested in home renovation scheme, accused of gambling away client money

Aleck, was charged with aggravated theft and his bond was set at $75,000.

Andrea bonded out.

Investigators say the couple pocketed tens of thousands of dollars in payments for home renovation projects across Katy, Friendswood, Sugar Land and Cypress., and the jobs were never completed.

According to clients KPRC 2 spoke with, the Millers stopped responding to concerned homeowners and even came up with outlandish excuses to explain not completing the work, including telling clients that Aleck had a heart attack. In reality, detectives discovered the couple was spending big at multiple casinos across the country.

Andrea Miller works as a teacher in Katy Independent School District. The district confirmed she was a Career and Technical Education teacher at Martha Raines Academy.

Katy ISD released a statement regarding the situation Thursday:

“Upon learning of the allegations that are unrelated to the district, the individual has not been returned to the classroom or campus. The district is addressing this as a personnel matter,” the statement read.

Ria and Rohan Krishna say they are two of the Millers’ victims. Aleck was hired to install a covered patio and extra driveway lane at their Friendswood home last October.

After the Krishnas invested $18,000 into the project, their driveway was left unfinished and in complete disarray. A concrete crew came to work for a couple days but stopped when their check from Millers bounced.

Additional victims have come forward to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and claimed the Millers took a total of $87,125 from them, according to court records.

The couple allegedly spent $1.53 million at the Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on gaming tables and slot machines, during the timeframe in which victims claimed they were losing money and not getting any work done.

Aleck was also wanted on two other felony theft charges for similar allegations dating back to 2022, records show.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is asking for anyone who had business dealings with the Millers to call the Financial Crimes Unit at 713-274-9118.