Two Tucson contractors were recently fined for doing work without a license after property owners complained about shoddy workmanship.
On Monday, Ana Elsa Alvirez, 48, was found guilty in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court of two counts of contracting without a license, each a Class 1 misdemeanor, according to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
The charges stem from two separate cases in which she was paid a total of more than $100,000 for the work.
In one case, state ROC investigators found that a Tucson property owner paid Alvirez, who owns Sahuaro Stone and Tile LLC, $35,000 to remodel a home. Alvirez started the job but abandoned it before completion, major appliances were never delivered and a gas line was installed incorrectly, the ROC said in a news release.
The court ordered Alvirez to pay $1,711 in restitution to the property owner. She was also sentenced to 60 days in jail; the sentence was suspended, however.
In the second case, a property owner paid Alvirez, who was doing business at ARA Solutions, $85,000 to remodel a Tucson home.
The property owner’s investor referred the owner to Alvirez, who offered to do the entire remodeling project. The property owner accepted without asking if she was licensed. Alvirez has never been a licensed contractor in Arizona, the ROC said.
The homeowner filed a complaint with the state after the project went more than $20,000 over budget and workers reported not being paid. The court fined Alvirez $2,000. No restitution was ordered.
Workmanship issues
On Sept. 23, Barry Bo McMillin, 56, of Tucson was found guilty in justice court of contracting without a license.
McMillin was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation and fined $1,000. The fine was suspended and will be waived if McMillin completes 50 hours of community service.
The charges stemmed from a ROC investigation that found McMillin, who did business as Merging Metal, was paid $3,500 by a Tucson homeowner for a wrought iron screen porch meant to keep out mosquitos.
The homeowner found McMillin via a Craigslist advertisement and admitted he knew McMillin was not a licensed contractor when he hired him. After the expected completion date passed and issues with the workmanship went unresolved, the homeowner fired McMillin and contacted the ROC for assistance.
State law requires home improvements to be performed by registered contractors any time a contract exceeds $1,000 in total fornicipality, the contractor is required to have a license.
Consumers can check for a license by using the contractor search at www.roc.az.gov or by calling 1-877-692-9762.
