Contractor charged with embezzling thousands from Oklahomans
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Two Oklahomans are now out thousands of dollars after hiring a contractor who took their money and disappeared. State Attorney General John O’Connor filed embezzlement charges against Francis Daniel Maldonado and his company, Five Brothers L&F Construction LLC, Thursday.
The AG claimed two people hired Maldonado for kitchen remodel work, one for $13,800 and another for $3,000. O’Connor released this statement saying, “I will not tolerate businesses using deceptive practices to take advantage of Oklahomans.”
KFOR did more digging and found out Oklahomans might not be the only ones Maldonado allegedly targeted.
Five Brothers Construction has an Oklahoma City address listed online with a simple Google search. But the address does not exist. There was a second address but when KFOR knocked on the door of what looked like a home, the woman who answered the door said she had never heard of the man. The phone number listed online was also only a recording.
Kitt Letcher, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma, said that did not surprise her.
"Most likely they're probably not licensed for the business, but they are doing it,” said Letcher. “They may even not be a local business. That's the biggest difference between like an accredited business and somebody who's kind of a fly by the night."
Letcher said companies like this one do not want you to find them, and they likely came from out of state to set up shop.
In fact, Letcher did not find complaints for Five Brothers Construction in central Oklahoma, but she did out of Florida. The company popped up as located in Groveland, Florida with a number of bad reviews and complaints.
"Because of the information that you supplied to us we are creating a file for them,” said Letcher. “It will make it easier for consumers to find their profile."
The BBB said if a company has not taken steps to be accredited then that was a red flag, along with offering lower prices and faster work, and cash only.
If you feel you were a victim of Maldonado or Five Brothers Construction, the Attorney General’s office urges you to give them a call at 1-833-681-1895.