HOUSTON – A teacher from the Houston area and her husband have been formally charged with stealing nearly $90,000 from home renovation clients and never completing the work.

Andrea Miller, 52, and Aleck Miller, 55, were arrested Thursday and he faced a judge in probable cause court in Harris County overnight.

According to NBC affiliate KPRC 2, the couple is accused of pocketing tens of thousands of dollars in payments for home renovation projects across several Houston suburbs. Investigators say they 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.

The Millers stopped responding to concerned homeowners who shared their stories with KPRC 2 and even came up with outlandish excuses to explain why the jobs weren’t finished, including telling clients that Aleck had a heart attack.

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

Andrea Miller teaches Career and Technical Education in theKaty Independent School District about 30 miles west of Houston.

“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,” a spokesperson for Katy ISD told KPRC 2 after the couple’s arrest.

Aleck Miller is charged with aggregate theft, and his bond is set at $75,000.

Andrea Miller bonded out of jail and is awaiting trial.