FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wed., Jan. 6, 2021
CONTACT:
Breanna Bang, Public Information Liaison
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Help us protect consumers from faulty, unsafe, illegal contracting!
Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 32, Chapter 10 requires a contractor be licensed through the Registrar of Contractors (ROC) to legally perform construction or home repair and remodeling jobs having total project cost, including labor and materials, above $1,000 or requiring a building permit. Unlicensed contractors can endanger the health, safety and welfare of the public.
WARNING: Only professional law enforcement personnel should attempt to apprehend these individuals.
Thorson, DBA New Pacific Contractors, is wanted on two grand jury warrants issued by the Maricopa County Superior Court in November and December 2019. The warrants resulted from two separate AZ ROC investigations that were submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) for prosecution.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
In August 2018, Lance Wills pleaded guilty to Theft, a Class 3 Felony in the Maricopa County Superior Court. In November 2018 he was sentenced to 12 months in the county jail and five years of supervised probation.
Between 2012 and 2018, the AZ ROC investigated 18 complaints against Wills. He was known to take large amounts of cash up front and during the construction process asks for additional cash payments. Once his victims stop giving him money, he does not return calls and abandoned the job.
In November 2017, Michael R. Peterson pleaded guilty to Contracting Without a License, a Class 1 Misdemeanor in the Maricopa County Superior Court. He was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $6,500 in restitution to the victim.
Michael R. Peterson works under the name Peterson Millwork and Design, LLC and takes money up-front while illegally contracting without a license. He then fails to produce paid-for materials and fails to perform any work. From 2014 to 2016, the ROC received three complaints against Peterson. In the complaint submitted for prosecution, he is accused of taking $6,500 without performing any work.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.