AZ ROC’s Most Wanted Unlicensed Entities and Unlicensed Violations

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On Wed., Oct. 6, 2021, Lance Edward Wills, 45 and formerly of Higley, Arizona, was sentenced to five years in prison at the Arizona Department of Corrections by the Mohave County Superior Court. The sentence comes after Wills was found guilty of violating his probation for a prior conviction.

Wills was previously a licensed contractor from April 2006 to June 2008 but his license was revoked in July 2008 for performing poor work and abandoning projects. In total, the Agency received eight complaints against Wills while he was licensed.

Since the license was revoked in 2008, the Agency investigated 20 unlicensed complaints against Wills. Since his first unlicensed complaint, Wills has taken Arizona home and business owners out for over $220,194, often abandoning the project after receiving a deposit.

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Patrick Callahan takes thousands of dollars in advance, fails to produce any of the materials and then abandons the job. He has targeted the elderly with this type of contracting scam.

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Robert Green is well known to the ROC. From 2014 to 2016, the Agency received and investigated six complaints against Green. According to the complaints, homeowners assumed he was licensed based on his professional-looking website and gave him a combined $87,230. In each of the complaints, he collected money and performed little to no work before disappearing.

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In April 2019, AZ ROC received a complaint from a Mesa homeowner who entered into a contract with Thorson for $147,200 to build a guest house. Thorson accepted a $15,000 deposit and never started the project. In May 2019 the investigation was submitted to MCAO for charging and then prosecution.

AZ ROC received a second complaint in April 2019 from a Phoenix homeowner who hired Thorson for a remodeling project. Thorsen represented himself to be a licensed contractor and used the ROC license number belonging to a licensed company to get the job. He was paid a $15,000 deposit but did not finish the work. The homeowner contacted AZ ROC after Thorson failed to correct items of poor workmanship and to complete the job. The investigation was submitted to MCAO in May 2019 for charging and then prosecution.

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UPDATED Oct. 7, 2019: The Arizona Registrar of Contractors has reason to believe additional residents of the Sun City and Sun City West areas may have been taken advantage of by Rafaela Juarez and Hugo Juarez-Zaragoza. The Agency also has reason to believe Jennifer and Jesus Ramiro are new aliases being used by Rafaela and Hugo.

From June 20, 2019 to August 12, 2019, AZ ROC received multiple new complaints from residents of Sun City/Sun City West against a Jennifer and Jesus Ramiro for poor work and eventual abandonment.

So far, homeowners who filed recent complaints are out over $110,000 and most allege they hired the duo/family for hardscaping work, pavers or irrigation installation, concrete and stucco work, or painting.
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In December 2017, Rafaela pleaded guilty to Theft, a Class 4 Felony and Hugo pleaded guilty to Criminal Damage, a Class 4 Felony, in the Maricopa County Superior Court. In February of 2018 they were both sentenced to 3 years of probation.

The Agency received and investigated 11 complaints against the couple between 2010 and 2016. During this time, the money paid by consumers to these two unlicensed entities is alleged to total $138,100. The contracted-for work typically involves landscaping and the couple is known to work in Sun City, Sun City West, and Sun City Grand areas.

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Update: On Wed., Oct. 30, 2019, at approximately 2:00 PM, Leo Andrew Wieck, 44 of Scottsdale, was arrested by the Phoenix Police Department near his Scottsdale home. Wieck was booked into the Fourth Avenue Maricopa County Jail. He was released on his own recognizance Thurs., Oct. 31, 2019

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On October 2, 2019, the Maricopa County Superior Court issued a Grand Jury Warrant for Wieck’s arrest. Wieck DBA EMConstruction, Solscape LLC and Desert Storm Contracting LLC, faces the charge of Fraud-Illegal Use of a Credit Card, a Class 5 Felony after an AZ ROC investigation found Wieck claimed to be a licensed contractor in order to have a Phoenix homeowner pay him $10,680 for landscaping work at a Phoenix home. The homeowners allege he fraudulently withdrew $4,000 from their account without permission.

Prior to the October 2 warrant, the Maricopa County Superior Court issued another Grand Jury Warrant for Wieck’s arrest on August 20, 2019. In this case, Wieck faces the charge of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, a Class 2 Felony and the charge stems from an AZ ROC investigation that found Wieck represented himself as a licensed contractor so a Phoenix homeowner would pay him $30,000 for a new pool installation. Wieck started the project but disappeared before it was complete.

Wieck is also wanted on a Failure to Appear Warrant issued by the Encanto Justice Court on July 19, 2019. In that case, Wieck is being charged with Contracting Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor after an AZ ROC investigation found a Phoenix homeowner paid him $53,539 for a pool installation. Following concerns with the workmanship, the victim discovered Wieck was not licensed to perform the work and filed a complaint.

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The warrant was quashed on September 5, 2019 after Wharton made a payment of $7,945 to the East Mesa Justice Court.

Background
On August 14, 2019, the East Mesa Justice Court ordered a warrant for Wharton after he failed to pay court-ordered restitution. Wharton pleaded guilty to Contracting Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor on September 20, 2018. After the June 25, 2019 restitution hearing, Wharton was ordered to pay $7,900 in restitution to the victim. The charges stemmed from an AZ ROC investigation that found Wharton was paid $7,900 by an 86 year old Mesa homeowner for roof repairs following a leak. Wharton did perform some work, however, the quality was poor and the materials were not appropriate for the job.

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On July 9, 2019, the Pinal County Superior Court issued a warrant for Libby, who is wanted on the charge of Contracting Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor. The charge was filed by the Pinal County Attorney's Office and stems from an AZ ROC investigation that found Libby was paid $1,400 for a granite countertop installation. The homeowner found Libby via the popular app Offerup. After being paid, Libby never returned to start the job or deliver materials. Libby is also wanted on a Failure to Appear warrant issued by the County Meadows Justice Court on February 19,2019. The charges stem from an AZ ROC investigation that found Libby was paid $1,200 by a Phoenix homeowner to fabricate and install new countertops. The homeowner hired Libby after finding an advertisement on Craigslist. No work was performed and no materials delivered.

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On Fri., Dec. 13, 2019, at approximately 3:45 PM, Brett Roberts, 54 of Chandler, was arrested by the Gilbert Police Department on 13 warrants and booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail.

Two of those warrants were issued by the Maricopa County Superior Court after he Failed to Appear at sentencing hearings scheduled for Feb. 7, 2019, and related to Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) investigations. The hearings come after Roberts pleaded guilty to two counts of Taking Identity of Another, a Class 4 Felony, on Sept. 25, 2019, in two separate court cases.

The charges stemmed from two separate AZ ROC investigations that found Roberts was using the names and license numbers of licensed contracting companies to represent himself as a licensed contractor and get work.

Roberts has never been a licensed contractor in the State of Arizona and is known to take money for projects and abandon the job.

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Covarrubias, Jr. is wanted on charges filed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office including Theft, a Class 5 Felony; Taking Identity of Another, a Class 4 Felony; and Contracting Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor in the Maricopa County Superior Court. The charges stemmed from an AZ ROC investigation that found that Covarrubias took $2,000 from a 72 and 90 year old couple in Buckeye for a landscaping project that was never started. Covarrubias, Jr. is also wanted on several (3) Failures to Appear in justice courts from 2017 and 2018. All three cases stem from AZ ROC investigations.

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In March 2017, Mr. La Chance was booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Fourth Avenue jail, on not only the felony warrant originating from a Paradise Valley case, but also two misdemeanor warrants for contracting without a license, and failure to pay on a contracting violation which originated from AZ ROC’s investigations into unrelated criminal cases, the police said.

In August of 2015, the Paradise Valley Police Department began investigating a complaint in which a resident reported that she had entered into an agreement with Paul La Chance dba Murray and Sons Construction to have nearly $60,000 worth of landscaping work done at her residence. To begin work, the resident presented a check for $15,000 to Mr. La Chance which was subsequently cashed. A short time later, but before the work project began, the resident and Mr. La Chance agreed to cancel the contract and return the $15,000 deposit. The complaint was received because no work was performed and the deposit money was never returned.

The Paradise Valley Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) began working hand in hand with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) and learned that Mr. La Chance had a long history of complaints with AZ ROC for unlicensed activity, poor workmanship, and failure to make repairs. We also learned that the contracting license for Murry and Sons Construction was suspended at the time this contract was entered into. The joint investigation between CIU and AZ ROC resulted in a felony theft warrant being issued for the arrest of Mr. La Chance.

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John Parks targets elderly victims, knocking on doors to solicit his victims. He extracts large amounts of money over extended time periods doing minimal work such as only applying a sealant to a roof.

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AZ ROC investigated 36 cases against Servellon since 2006 and, in 2015 alone, the Registrar investigated nine cases and submitted eight of them to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for prosecution. In those eight cases submitted for prosecution, AZ ROC Investigators found Servellon illegally contracted with homeowners for bathroom and kitchen countertop remodeling projects totaling $28,975. In total, homeowners – from Chandler, Gilbert, Pinetop-Lakeside, Mesa, Phoenix, Queen Creek and Tempe - paid $23,810 on the contracted-for price and Servellon, in exchange, performed little to no work.

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In June 2018, Heilbrun pleaded guilty to two counts of Fraud, a Class 2 Felony in the Maricopa County Superior Court. He was sentenced to two years of probation and $14,000 in restitution. In May 2017, Heilbrun pleaded guilty to Attempting to Contract Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor, in the Kyrene Justice Court. He was sentenced with a $250 fine and $2,600 in restitution to the victim.

Heilbrun was a licensed contractor until 2012. Between 2015 and 2016, the AZ ROC investigated three complaints against Heilbrun, alleging that he operated illegally as an unlicensed entity taking large amounts of money up-front. Heilbrun for contracted for amounts totaling $73,794.08. Of those contract amounts, homeowners paid $29,800 and Heilbrun abandoned each of the jobs.

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In September 2017, Bogdan "Bo" Craciunescu pleaded guilty to Theft, a Class 3 Felony, in the Maricopa County Superior Court. He was sentenced to pay a combined total of $11,793 in restitution to two victims and three years of probation.

Bo Craciunescu is an unlicensed entity and has victimized people in Maricopa County by taking large amounts of money up front for contracting jobs and then failing to produce material he says he purchased and abandoning jobs.

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In April 2017, Steven Shane Salyers pleaded guilty to Theft, a Class 5 Felony in the Maricopa County Justice Court. He was sentenced to pay the victim $2,500 in restitution. In July 2017, Salyers pleaded guilty to Theft, a Class 4 Felony in the Maricopa County Justice Court. He was sentenced to 45 days in the county jail with two years of probation to follow. He was also ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution to the victim.

Steven Salyers has contracted without a license for the past several years. He has conned victims out of very large sums of money, totaling over six figures. He produces very few materials and abandons the job once the victims stop paying. Several victims have lost over $50,000.00 to Salyers. He is wanted for the felony charge of Fraudulent schemes.

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In April 2018, Keith Edward Benevento pleaded guilty to two counts of Contracting Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor. He was sentenced to pay $4,100 in restitution.

Keith Benevento has contracted without a license. He has been known to take large sums of money from the elderly without producing any work.

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In September 2016, Ordonez pleaded guilty to Theft, a Class 6 Felony. He was sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation and ordered to pay a total of $10,910 in restitution to two victims.

Juan Ordonez contracts with his victims to do roofing jobs. He takes thousands of dollars up front, never produces any material and then abandons the jobs.

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In March 2017, Filiberto Jose Ramos pleaded guilty to Taking Identity of Another, a Class 4 Felony in the Maricopa County Superior Court. He was sentenced to pay a total of $18,350 in restitution to two victims, four years of probation, and 30 days in the county jail beginning in August 2017.

Filiberto Ramos operates statewide in Arizona. He has stolen large amounts of cash from victims by means of contracting scams.