FAMILY AFFECTED BY RECENT FLOODS FALL VICTIM TO DECEITFUL CONTRACTORS
Police initiates
search for wanted contractors
El Paso
Count Attorney José R. Rodríguez announced today that he has obtained arrest
warrants against two contractors accused of taking advantage of a Northeast El
Paso family that was trying to repair their home after the recent floods.
32-year-old Joseph Arroyos and 29-year-old Claudia Gisela
Ramirez, of 9316 Cannes Circle,
face charges of deceptive business practice, a class ‘A' misdemeanor,
punishable with a fine not to exceed $4,000 and/or up to 365 days in jail.
According to the complaint
affidavit, on October 10, 2006 Rosa Vasquez hired Arroyos and Ramirez, doing
business as "Dreams Come True Construction", to repair the roof of her
house that was seriously damaged by rain. The victim had received 2 checks from
her insurance company to pay for the repairs. On that date she gave the first
check in the amount of $993 to Joseph Arroyos. Almost a week later, a group of
workers from "Dreams Come True Construction" showed up at her residence
on 5545 Prince Edward to remove some damaged shingles from the roof, but the
work was left unfinished after an Inspector that was passing thru the
neighborhood advised them to stop the work because they did not have the proper
vehicle to transport the shingles and they lacked the permits to fix the roof.
The workers left leaving the shingles all over her yard as well as hundreds of
nails, creating a dangerous situation. Vasquez said nobody from "Dreams Come
True Construction" ever came back to her house to finish the job. The home
was left in inhabitable conditions, and that caused Ms. Vasquez to spend all
her savings to hire a second company to make other repairs. As a result, she is
suffering financial hardship during this holiday season. "There is no money
left to buy presents for my children," said Ms. Vasquez, "We used it all to fix
the roof. The house has still not been
repaired by the contractor."
Joseph
Arroyos has an extensive criminal history accompanied by complaints from
individuals who paid him for services that were never rendered, including a second
outstanding warrant for a repair contract on a house in the North Loop area this
year, and 5 pending criminal charges for deceptive business practices for
operating contracts under the business name "CJ Construction" and "C
and J Construction." Arroyos also has an outstanding contempt of court warrant
for unpaid child support. According to court records up to today he owes over $40,000
in unpaid child support.
"The case
of Rosa Vasquez has been a nightmare for her family," said County Attorney José
R. Rodríguez "This case is another example of why it is very important not to
give money upfront for work. We need the community's help in locating these two
wanted individuals, to put a stop to all their scams," explained Rodríguez.
If you have information that could
lead to the arrest of Joseph Arroyos and Claudia Gisela Ramirez, you are asked
to please contact the El Paso Police Department at 564-7000.
If you feel you have been victim of
a scam on the hands of an unscrupulous contractor, please contact the police
department or call the County
Attorney's Office, at
546-2050.
Contractors Wanted Press Release.pdf
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