# Plumber convicted of overcharging elderly woman $92,000



## mark handler (Feb 10, 2020)

https://www.smdp.com/plumber-convic...SpG_M_qi0fcxNNw-Y-JkulzfyJ_Tn4A2F5gZYBC79DmrU
A plumbing company extracted $92,000 from an elderly Santa Monica homeowner after she hired the company to complete $5,000 worth of repairs and installations, city officials announced Wednesday.
On Jan. 27, a superior court judge sentenced Jet Speed Plumbing Inc., doing business as Ritz Plumbing, to three years of probation for unlawfully overcharging an 82-year-old woman tens of thousands of dollars for contract work. The owner of Ritz Plumbing was ordered to refund the $92,000 to the homeowner and must pay a $45,000 disciplinary bond before trying to reacquire a contractor’s license.
Officials said the investigation began after one of the homeowner’s adult children noticed that her mother’s bank accounts and retirement savings had been depleted.
Investigators found that the homeowner had initially engaged Ritz Plumbing to conduct $5,000 of plumbing work for ordinary repairs and installations. But Ritz Plumbing then entered into four other contracts with the homeowner and she paid the company an additional $92,000.
An employee of the company, Ignacio Duron, obtained another $81,000 from the homeowner for landscaping work that he had no license to perform. Duron even drove her to her bank so she could withdraw money to pay for the landscaping work, officials said.
“This case should act as a cautionary tale and reminder that when we are dealing with contractors, it is critical we know our rights and the law,” said Chief Deputy City Attorney Eda Suh of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division.
Suh said consumers should obtain at least three bids and references before hiring a contractor, check with the Contractors State License Board to ensure the contractor is licensed and sign a written contract with the contractor only after carefully reviewing it for accuracy and understanding its terms.
Suh also recommended not paying more than the legally required down payment, not paying with cash, and making a final payment only after the job is complete and building inspectors have signed the permits.


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## ICE (Feb 10, 2020)

One small step in the right direction.  The corporation is on probation and has to post a $45K bond.  No punishment short of bankruptcy and banishment is sufficient.  Those crooks have stripped countless people of their money and dignity and they skulked away free to reoffend.


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## mark handler (Feb 10, 2020)

ICE said:


> One small step in the right direction.  The corporation is on probation and has to post a $45K bond.  No punishment short of bankruptcy and banishment is sufficient.  Those crooks have stripped countless people of their money and dignity and they skulked away free to reoffend.


Contractor's License Detail (Complaint Disclosure)
Contractor License # 955742
Contractor Name *RITZ PLUMBING
Complaints*
Complaint # H D 2018 4805
Date 11/27/2018
Status *CRIMINAL CASE FILED*
DISCLAIMER: Any complaint listed is only an allegation of a probable violation. A complaint does not affect the status of the license at this time. If a complaint is referred to the Office of the Attorney General for legal action, it may result in the suspension or revocation of the license. Pursuant to 7124.6 of the Business and Professions Code, the following complaints meet the criteria for disclosure.
*Citations*

Citation # 2 2016 001449
Date 10/05/2016
Status COMPLETED


Citation # 2 2016 001350
Date 09/19/2016
Status COMPLETED


Citation # 2 2015 002538
Date 04/19/2016
Status COMPLETED


Citation # 2 2015 002531
Date 04/15/2016
Status COMPLETED


Citation # 2 2014 002746
Date 05/27/2015
Status COMPLETED
Cases

Complaint # N 2016 000304
Date 01/06/2020
Status CURRENTLY UNDER DISCIPLINARY ORDER
*# of Complaints 8*


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