Former IT contractor sues Alamance County over $157,586 unpaid bill

Alamance County is now facing a lawsuit over $157,586 that a former outside IT contractor says was left unpaid after work tied to county operations and technology services. The case, filed in Alamance County civil superior court, turns a billing dispute into a test of how the county handled contracts, approvals and payments for outside technical help.

Mike Caffrey, a former vice president and partner in Avero Infrastructure, says the Maryville, Tennessee-based company provided services meant to streamline operations and eliminate inefficiencies in the county’s IT department. His complaint says four invoices sent May 5, 2025, remain unpaid. Two were for work and expenses from 2024 and totaled $65,572, while two more covered January through March 2025 and totaled $92,014.

Caffrey says the dispute was unfolding while he was in mediation over his separation from former business partner Abhijit Verekar. He alleges that around May 1, 2025, Alamance County was told the outstanding invoices should be paid directly to him under the mediation agreement. He also says the county cut off contact with him by about May 12, even though he understood his services would continue through the end of June 2025.

The suit says county attorney Rik Stevens later told him all accounts were settled and no further payment would be made. Caffrey is seeking damages for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, along with attorneys’ fees, costs and recovery of the unpaid balance. The filing also raises a familiar question for county government: who had authority to approve the work, and how closely were those outside services tracked once the invoices arrived?

Avero Infrastructure LLC has been active in Tennessee since September 19, 2018, with a principal office in Maryville. Avero Advisors, tied to the same business network, says it offers vendor-neutral ERP consulting, AI advisory, digital-transformation advisory, IT strategic planning, modernization roadmaps, cybersecurity posture reviews and three-year technology investment plans, and says it has served more than 120 agencies.

The county’s IT department, led by Joel Bonestell, says its mission is to provide the highest level of customer service and technology guidance to county departments. The county attorney’s office, where Stevens is listed as county attorney, represents the Board of Commissioners, County Manager and county departments. Alamance County adopted its 2025-26 budget on June 16, 2025, and the spending plan included a 2.5-cent property-tax increase, a reminder that any legal exposure here lands in the middle of a tight public-fiscal picture.