An Osceola man has been convicted of multiple felonies after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

James Jerome Gates was convicted of Fraud and Theft for acts that have happened in the last three years.

He is said to have presented himself as a contractor for home improvements, but either did not perform the work or entered into a pattern of obtaining money based upon false pretenses.

He is said to have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from two separate victims. He has previous criminal history, and is described as a “con man at heart.”

Gates has been sentenced at the Indiana Department of Corrections.