An El Paso man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for stealing up to $300,000 from more than a dozen people, including an 89-year-old woman, authorities said.
Thomas Jacinto Lopez, 25, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in state prison on exploitation of an elderly person and theft of property charges, District Attorney James Montoya and County Attorney Christina Sanchez announced in a joint news release.
“The defendant’s actions of repeatedly targeting an elderly widow in declining physical and mental health are absolutely reprehensible,” Montoya said in a statement. “Our office will continue to work with law enforcement to hold those who engage in this kind of predatory behavior accountable.”
Lopez also pleaded guilty to an additional count of theft of property, which was prosecuted by the El Paso County Attorney’s Office. He was also sentenced to 25 years on this charge. The sentences will be served concurrently, court records show.
“Our office is aggressively pursuing individuals who engage in deceptive business practices that harm El Paso families and cost our community hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Sanchez said in a statement. “We strongly urge any residents who have been scammed or defrauded by contractors or businesses to come forward and file a report with their local police department, to ensure we can build the strongest possible cases.”
Judge Sam Medrano of 409th District Court handed down the sentence on Dec. 11 at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.
Lopez’s prior felony drug and theft convictions from Midland, Texas, were used to enhance the punishment range, Montoya said.
Scammed elderly woman at assisted living center
In the case filed by the district attorney’s office, Lopez pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from an 89-year-old starting in 2017, the news release states.
The scheme involved Lopez taking money from the woman in exchange for “performing home maintenance,” the news release states. Lopez continued to scam the woman as she was living in an assisted living center. He visited the woman at the center and demanded she pay him $16,000 in back payments. The woman gave Lopez the money.
The woman reported the fraud to the El Paso Police Department in 2023.
Lopez scams 13 people in deceptive business fraud scheme
In the case prosecuted by the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, Lopez stole between $150,000 and $300,000 from 13 people as part of a construction projects scam, the news release states. The fraud happened between 2020 and 2022.
The scheme involved “Lopez taking money from victims for significant construction projects, such as installing pools, but then abandoning the jobs after completing only a small portion of the contracted work,” the news release states.
The cases against Lopez were investigated by the El Paso Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, and Anthony Police Department.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso scammer sentenced to prison for construction work fraud scheme
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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