MIAMI – A 42-year-old man was arrested Wednesday, nearly a year after he defrauded a Miami homeowner out of $50,000 while posing as a licensed contractor, authorities said.
According to an arrest report from the Miami Police Department, the victim hired DBA Shalom Home Renovation Inc. on Jan. 15 to remodel his home in the 300 block of Northeast 48th Street.
Police said Jairo Rene Lopez Amador, of Miami, then showed up to his home for a survey and to give an estimate on the work that would be done.
According to the arrest report, Lopez Amador was initially supposed to install five impact windows, a door, plaster the front of the home and paint the exterior of the house.
Police said Lopez Amador later changed the contract to include an additional two bathrooms and the enlargement of the living room.
The total cost of the work was $50,000 and Lopez Amador assured the victim that his company would obtain all required permits from the city of Miami.
According to the report, the victim paid the total amount within a month of hiring the company.
Police said the victim eventually noticed that days and weeks would pass before he saw Lopez Amador doing any work on his property.
None of the work was completed and eventually Lopez Amador stopped going to the victim’s home and the victim was unable to get in contact with him, authorities said.
According to the report, the Department of Business & Professional Regulation opened an investigation into Lopez Amador and his company on May 30.
On Oct. 15, the victim met with a Miami police detective and completed a victim statement, claiming that Lopez Amador presented himself as a contactor and led the victim to believe that he was licensed.
Police said the victim’s wife also provided police with a photo of Lopez Amador and detectives discovered that he had previously been deported from the U.S. and had illegally reentered the country.
According to the arrest report, Lopez Amador, who is from Honduras, was arrested Wednesday at an apartment in Miami and admitted to something, although his statement was redacted from the publicly released report.
Lopez Amador was arrested on charges of organized fraud of $50,000 or more, grand theft and engaging in contracting without a license.
As of Thursday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He is not able to bond out at this time as he is being held on an immigration hold.
