rom Homeowner
ROCKVILLE, Md. – An unlicensed contractor is accused of taking more than $82,000 from a Maryland homeowner — but that’s only part of why police are looking for the Virginia man.
Cesar Suazo Rivera of Falls Church was hired to put an addition on Edward Minassian’s home in Derwood, Md.
After paying Rivera $82,500 to start the job, Minassian, thought he’d be getting a garage, new kitchen, dining room, and more.
Instead, Minassian got a $1,500 dent in the side of his home.
Minassian’s home was damaged while Rivera was delivering building materials to the home, and before he even began the renovation.
Several weeks after damaging Minassian’s home, Rivera returned and demanded an additional $30,000 before starting the project.
On Jan. 17, the Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection obtained a warrant charging Rivera with acting as a home improvement contractor without the required license, abandoning the job, and felony theft.
But that’s not the only reason police want to find Rivera.
Rivera is also wanted in Fairfax County in connection with a case of attempted abduction and malicious wounding and for practicing a profession without a license, says John Creel with the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection.
Rivera has refused to cooperate by turning himself into police. Anyone with information on Rivera’s whereabouts should contact their local police department.
Creel says he’s not sure if he can get Minassian’s money back, but the incident underscores the need for consumers to check out the contractors they hire.
“I can promise that if we prosecute this guy and get him into the court system, we’re gonna go all the way,” Creel says.
For more information about hiring contractors, visit the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection.
Edited 2/21/2008 11:31 pm ET by hmj
Replies
reckon he charged for the estimate as well?
$82K, that's a lot of start up money.
Maryland has pretty strict licensing requirements. It is common sense to ask for license/insurance/reference info up front. I have no pity on someone who tries to save a buck and higher a hack, then gets burned.
how do you know ?
i took over a job that the owner had already paid $180K out for an estimated $120K
the job was half done
the guy had permits
but he had obtained the permit with a false name and license
so....
my point is some scum bags can fool anyone
let's be a little freer with our smpathyMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I have no pity on someone who tries to save a buck and higher a hack, then gets burned.
You don't know what happened, or the deal that transpired. That's a lot of money, and granted the HO should have been more cautious. But someone misrepresenting himself-obviously a good liar- could probably con even more suspicious people, and have.
I pity the HO. That's about all they have left. Not only did the schmuck steal the money, he took the HOs pride and respect, as well as the good reputation of legitimate contractors.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Sorry, there was more info in another article that I didn't post.MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. -- Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection has filed charges against an unlicensed home improvement contractor who allegedly accepted $82,500 for a job he did not finish.Cesar Suazo Rivera of Falls Church has been charged with acting as a home improvement contractor without the required license, abandoning the job and felony theft.Edward Minassian said he paid Rivera $82,500 to build an addition to his Derwood home, but the work was never completed.Minassian said Rivera, who owns the D.C.-based company Eurobuilders, was to build a larger dining room, a new bedrom and a garage. Rivera told Minassian he needed the money up-front to pay for materials.Rivera cashed Minassian's check but removed only part of a fence, police said. Some building materials were delivered to the home, and during the delivery the home was damaged, police said.Related: Watch The ReportSeveral weeks later, Rivera returned to the home and demanded another $30,000 before starting the project, police said. Minassian refused and filed a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection."I've been doing the job for 26 years, and this is pretty serious," said John Creel of Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection."A couple cinder blocks, gravel and the wood and severe family trauma is what they delivered," Creel said.Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection said the first sign something was amiss was the contract between Rivera and the Minassians, which was filled with a bunch of rudimentary sketches."I would say that this is the worst contract I've ever seen," Creel said. "You just go in here and look at the drawings that were allegedly drawn by the defendant, and you say, 'This is not good.'"The Minassians said they invested almost all of their retirement savings in the project. Consumer advocates said there are many more victims of fraud.Rivera is also wanted in Fairfax County on two counts of practicing a profession without a license and one count of attempted abduction and malicious wounding, police said.Anyone with information on Rivera is asked to contact police.Maryland law requires that home improvement contractors be licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission.Consumer protection officials warn that an increasing number of unlicensed home improvement contractors have criminal histories and said it can be potentially dangerous to hire them."Be on the lookout. Don't get ripped off by these types of individuals," Creel said.Officials said citizens should make sure to hire licensed contractors, check for complaints against builders and ask for references. They also said to beware of sales pitches. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is, they said.
According to the second article:"Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection said the first sign something was amiss was the contract between Rivera and the Minassians, which was filled with a bunch of rudimentary sketches."I would say that this is the worst contract I've ever seen," Creel said. "You just go in here and look at the drawings that were allegedly drawn by the defendant, and you say, 'This is not good"I still have no sympathy. What if the took his savings to Las Vegas and put it all on red and lost it. Would you still have sympathy? The HO screwed himself...
Glad we're not related, nor friends.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
likewise
hmj
What if the HO took his savings to Las Vegas and put it all on red and lost it. Would you still have sympathy?
Your analogy misses big time.
Taking your money to Vegas is a voluntary action, doubt very much that the HO'ers signed up for this sort of action from the contractor.
I agree to a point that one should not engage in a contract with someone that is unlicensed and draws up his plans on a napkin but that doesn't take away from the fact that the contractor ripped him off.
If I leave $500 sitting on the dashboard of my unlocked car down in the hood and someone steels it does it make me wrong? Foolish perhaps but it was still my money and someone took it, someone that didn't have any right to it, so I wasn't guilty of a wrong deed just a foolish sense of trust. The dirtbag contractor is still the bad guy here, not the foolish homeowner.
Doug
I am a licensed Maryland home improvement contractor. We are licensed by the state and have to jump through hoops to be legal. The problem is, the commision does nothing to stop the unlicensed hacks till something goes wrong. I know people in the business for decades... till a job goes bad and someone complains or they advertise, they go about their merry way undercutting my price because of lower overhead.
Same thing here and in a way its kinda smart theres no penalties so why should they, Thats why i resent all these rules, I know some made a lotta money and laughed there azz off. What do you tell someone just starting , Here follow the rules and have it tough or cheat and get the work and make the money.
Im also a licensed contractor in the chimney and home improvement busiess and I see a lot of "unlicensed contractors" out here in Md. I have complained to the commission about this problem and what the responce is unless there is a complaint against the contractor they cant do much .There are not enough inspectors to police all the jobs that go on with out a permit or inspections. SO, there is not much that any one can do untill there is a case like the one here. Any one with a hammer and a beat-up truck can be a "contractor". There have been times where I call a "contractor" to the number on their truck for an estimate an their licence number I get the run around why they don't put the licence number on their truck. But like Sledgehammer said I have to jump through hoops and loops to be legal while these guys under bid me. There have been a cople of cases that I have been harazed and followed by one of this guys, because I have told the home owner that the job some one olse did was bad. That they sould call back the previous guy that did the work to make it good, before I would re do the work.
I have a MHIC and you are correct. How many times have you seen " licsensed and insursed" in an ad for work and no MHIC# (which as you know is required on our vechicles and in any advertisement).
I have a license and insurance too, but I don't have my name and number on my van. One it would raise my insurance quite a bit (I currently have as business use under my homeowners/auto policy.). Second, unless the MHIC is willing to buy me new tools when they are stolen out of my van because there is a big sign alerting every illiterate crackhead there are tools in the back, I won't. I'll hand out cards w/ my license number and give a cert of insurance to anyone who asks. Even give people the MHIC website where they can check out a license.
HMJ I don't disagree with a single point you have, I don't have my name or number on my truck and we are both clearly breaking the law.... which they don't enforce.
MHIC is another government make work project that only springs into action when all the horses are clear of the barn door.
Massachusetts is the same way, if you're a licensed contractor and shaft a customer, you pay. If you are unlicensed, then the State's attitude to the home owner is "sorry, try the civil court system...."
DougUOne of two things transpired here. Either the HO did not do his homework and properly check the contractors license status and references and he got burned or he knowingly hired a unlicensed contractor to get a better price and he got burned. Yeah, it sucks that he lost the money and he might not get it back, but it could have been avoided. If he did hire the guy, not knowing he was unlicensed and not checking his references, then he is dumber than cat dirt for handing him a check for $87K. Yes people steal license numbers, references can be faked, but why didn't he ask to see the guy's most recent work as a contractor. There are other ways to check legitimacy. I certainly would not hand someone $87K after just a few phone calls to strangersIf he knowingly hired an unlicensed contractor who works for way less than a legitimate one, why should I feel sorry for him? He took the risk for the cheaper price. Like buying weak pot and complaining to the police about the quality.Either way, I'm not saying he was the bad guy, but to say he is blameless? Don't think so.Fact is, a HO is hurting all legitimate contractors' business by hiring someone uninsured and unlicensed, who does not pay taxes or hires illegals. This contractor comes in way lower on his price, lowering the bar for everyone. Since a legitimate guy can't lower his operating costs, his profit suffers. I am fortunate enough to be in a position where 90-95% of my work is repeat business or word of mouth referrals, so my price usually stands on it's own. Still, I get plenty of shocked "Oh my, the last guy did it for half that, but he wasn't very good, failed to show alot..." from HO's who call me out of the blue.
The real problem for legit contractors is the failure of the state to do anything to stop these guys before they rape a customer. In Maryland it is illegal to enter a home improvement contract unless you are licensed... period. I know a major window company that contracts for the installation of their product in Maryland. They have no Maryland license and the Home Improvement Commision admits it's both illegal and there is nothing they will do about it.
Very frustrating.
I don't know any more about this scam than I read here. But I wonder if they are an elderly couple. I've got parents in their mid- 80's. Mom has Alzheimer's and resides in a nursing facility. Dad lived independently till two weeks ago when he broke his hip. I've watched them both fail for the last 15 years and my sister and I do our best to watch out for them. But there are predators out there that specialize in the elderly. They know their judgment is failing and they're easy marks. I've intercepted a number of con men and missed a few I know of. I don't know if this couple is elderly and perhaps has failing judgment. But, it's a possibility. It's tough watching out for them; I've learned that the loss of independence can forecast quick demise. Most are too proud to accept much help. I always have to conceal the help for my dad with excuses and deception. Sadly, I don't have any good ideas beyond what we've done. And in this dilema, these s***heads prey on these folks and take what they can.I guess I'm saying I'm prepared to have more than a little pity depending on the circumstances here. I also find I tend to look out for the elderly when I cross paths with them, given the experience with my folks.Frank
Sledge,don't hold your breath waiting for the MHIC to do anything. Their primary responsibility is to ensure their own existence. I have never been before them for any issues with my work, and only know one contractor who has. He had a customer who didn't want to pay and thought he could get out of it by reporting him ( n the quality of the work). MHIC told contractor to deal with it and make sure the HO was completely satisfied. Ended up going to court where the contractor won. Cost him more in legal fees than the disputed amount, but as he said, it was the principle of the matter.I think it is good thing that we have the MHIC, but as you said they don't seem to do much. In the end, it is on the homeowner to do his homework and check references, insurance...
i notice the phrase {unlicensed home improvement contractor }, Well if hes not licensed hes NOT, It should read {Impersonating a licensed home improvement contractor}
Edited 2/22/2008 11:05 am ET by bobbys
For a New Jersey guy You are pretty smart!!
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I have to tell BOB what you just said;}
hmj-
Forum etiquette says yer suppose to provide a link when you post something like that.
be just so's ya knows
Peach full,
easy feelin'.
Sorry, mamma raised me better than that.http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=706&sid=1349431http://www.nbc4.com/news/15366098/detail.html
Rivera has refused to cooperate by turning himself into police.
What a surprise.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Yeah, there's a real shocker.
Geussin' the authorities will just hang out and wait.
Waiting for exactly what they asked for - a real citizen to tell them where he is.
Collecting a check on every payday 'til that happens.
Almost makes you want to ask the inevitable question - "Who's take money for not producing?"Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City