A Texas couple who sold themselves as Chip and Joanna Gaines-style homebuilders secretly scammed customers out of millions by taking payments to build dream homes they never planned to finish.

Christopher and Raquelle Judge, of Fort Worth, marketed themselves as a custom homebuilding and remodeling business – only to pocket their clients' cash instead.

Christopher, 35, pled guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge on Tuesday after Raquelle, 36, did so earlier this month, admitting they defrauded more than 40 customers of approximately $4.8million.

Instead of using the money to complete the promised construction projects, the Judges diverted the funds for personal use between August 2020 and January 2023.

That included $96,000 on building their luxurious $613,000 home, $65,000 on legal fees, $38,000 on rent and mortgage payments, and $10,000 on unspecified plastic surgery procedures, according to prosecutors.

The couple also used the fraudulent funds to pay for Amazon purchases, personal credit cards, tuition fees and 'luxury items.'

Christopher faces up to 20 years in federal prison, while Raquelle can only receive a maximum sentence of five years.

Christopher and Raquelle Judge pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy. They marketed themselves as a custom architecture business, only to pocket their clients' money

The Judges spent $96,000 on building their home, $65,000 on civil legal fees, $38,000 on rent and mortgage payments, and $10,000 on plastic surgery

An indictment filed September 3 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas detailed how the married couple stole millions of dollars.

The Judges offered architecture, construction, and interior design services online under a company called Judge DFW.

Christopher falsely advertised his services as an architect on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Once a potential customer got in touch to build or remodel a home, Christopher would submit a below–market bid for the project and promise that it would be completed within four to six months.

After securing a client, the Judges asked for money to be transferred to a business bank account – only for the husband and wife to move the funds into other accounts for their own expenses.

The Judges never intended to finish the custom home projects, per the indictment.

Instead, they would do 'partial work' to induce the victims to keep making payments, effectively funding their luxury lifestyle. 

In total, prosecutors said that the married couple received $4.8million from customers for the unfinished projects

The Judges would use their customers' money for their own expenses, according to prosecutors. Their $613,000 home in Texas is pictured