Print
Email
Share

Contractor facing charges

by JESSE JONES / KING 5 News

Bio | Email | Follow: @getjesse

KING5.com

Posted on March 17, 2010 at 10:00 PM

Updated Friday, Jun 3 at 11:03 AM

Prosecutors filed charges against a Covington contractor profiled in a Get Jesse investigation. John Mulinksi now faces two counts of unregistered contracting in King County, and California may soon follow.

"I like what he had to say, he was very smooth," said Michell Young.

And with that, she paid contractor John Mulinski $13,000 to repair her roof and add a room.

That was in March 2006.

Michelle Young: "I believed in him so much I just went with it."

Jesse Jones: "And where did it take you?"

Michelle Young: "Down a really, really bad road."

And that road led to a hole in the ground. It represents all of the work Mulinski did to Michelle's Black Diamond home in almost four years.

"I would say he's a slick talking individual who is an absolute scammer," she said.

Now King County prosecutors are moving in on Mulinski. They have charged him with two counts of unregistered contracting, once in the Young case and the second count is for signing a contract and taking money to repair the roof for Ryan and Liesl Brown's Sammamish home.

"I just want my money back and for him to be prosecuted," Ryan Brown said.

The charges come on the heels of our investigation of Mulinski's businesses that strech up and down the West Coast. He's been hit no less than five times for unregistered contracting by Labor and Industries in Washington, and once in Oregon.

His contractors license in California is currently suspended, and his company, United Roof Restoration, is also under investigation by state regulators for abandoning projects, failing to timely pay subcontractors and failing to pay for materials.

A source close to the investigation in California tells me that charges could be filed against Mulinski in a Contra Costa County case by as early this week.

None of this information surprises Michelle Young back in Black Diamond. She says John Mulinski kept on trying to perform work even when she knew he did not have his registration.

"He kept coming over and wanting more money, and I told him he doesn't have a license any more, you can not work on my house until you have a license and give me my money back," she said.

Mulinski's arraignment for his two unregistered contracting charges is set for Friday in the King County courthouse. If he's found guilty, he faces a year in jail and a $5,000 fine for each count.

We'll keep you updated.

Print
Email
Share

To add a comment, please register or login.

1000 characters remaining

Submit

We welcome your comments on this story's topic. Off-topic comments, personal attacks, and inappropriate language may be flagged and removed, and comment privileges blocked, per our Terms of Service. Thanks for keeping the comments space respectful.

Privacy Policy

You have indicated this comment should be removed.

Close

The comment has been submitted for review. Thank you .

Comments: Displaying 1 - 13 of 13

psbladerunner said on March 30, 2010 at 10:44 PM

we had a contractor with service magics evaluation with a good rating , it was all BS, it took six months to remodle a bathroom and $5000 over the original estimate and we bought most of the materials out of our own pockets , also there were no permits for any of the work done. They didnt even finish all the detail work . shotty workmanship. The trim work was terrible. as we found out later the contractor had many lawsuites against him for thousands of dollars. he was taking moneys from us to pay other subcontractors on other jobs. we were getting calls from the glass contractors wondering were their money was for the glass work. This guy have a valid license from the state. Go figure he was a crook .

40352692
Flag this comment

audio4u said on March 29, 2010 at 8:40 PM

Why is this news. I know of a contactor in Seatlte who has numerous judgements and is still working on homes across the area claiming to have valid licenses. I guess it is who you know!

40277207
Flag this comment

dodge1 said on March 29, 2010 at 4:46 PM

He should run for govenor, He is just like the one we have now. Lie,s and cheats.

40266952
Flag this comment

tacwilster said on March 18, 2010 at 3:52 PM

I can't believe these people would give someone that kind of money with out checking his credentials!! license, bond, insurance. Get a good faith estimate and never pay everygthing up front, I beleive it is custumary to pay only a portion up front. Idiots as far as I'm concerned. Hope they nail him to the wall.

39562038
Flag this comment

graham said on March 18, 2010 at 1:39 PM

You need to watch these crook & check them out before the drive so much as 1 nail

39556347
Flag this comment

jayemdub said on March 18, 2010 at 10:21 AM

It is always smart to verify that a contractor is licensed, bonded, and insured before hiring them. Those who are not, are also not paying taxes on the money you pay them. Sure, you may get your work done cheaper, but you have no protection against someone like Mulinski or the others like him (and there are plenty of them out there). Even if a contractor shows you a copy of his license, verify that the license is not suspended or expired. Ask for the license number and UBI so you have all the necessary information to check with Labor and Industries Contractor registration department before hiring. Ask for references and actually check them out. Cheaper is not always the best way to go.

39544872
Flag this comment

bigbopper said on March 18, 2010 at 10:16 AM

Good luck getting your 13,000 dollors back becuase if he has any money it will go to his lawyer.Go with the established companies that have references.

39544627
Flag this comment

perciusgooodwin said on March 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM

Hey "clear2copy", let's think about this a minute. Since when is it acceptable to blame a crime on the victim? You wouldn't blame someone who got killed for their own murder would you? How is this sort of scam any different? Should people do research on these things first? Yes. But they shouldn't have to. These were good law abiding people that expected the person they were dealing with to also be a law abiding person. Is that such an unreasonable expectation? Is it really mindless to trust a business to do their job? No. Stop blaming the victims and lets start ridding the world of scumbags like Mulinski. Oh and "josh_iii" if you were paying attention the Youngs were adding an entire room to their house. Not really something that you can easily do by yourself, especially if you have jobs and other thing's to deal with.

39543681
Flag this comment

josh_iii said on March 18, 2010 at 9:29 AM

This is why I do all of my own work on my house. I would rather research how to do something, than research someone who will most likely end up cutting corners to save himself money. Most remodel projects aren't that difficult. I completely resided and retrimmed, put up new all new doors and windows, including replacing my original 2 garage doors with one 18 foot door. I still hired two contractors to help with time, but that was for paint and gutters only. Cost for everything when I was done: $22,000. Estimate from a contractor to do everything I accomplished by myself: $60,000 Sweat equity people. All it takes is half a brain and some research. Watch the DIY network, you get come good ideas, and you can see just how easy most remodel work can be. Saves a ton of headaches dealing with shady contractors.

39541301
Flag this comment

clear2copy said on March 18, 2010 at 9:14 AM

Did the 'victims' do any sort of background or research on this 'contractor' before coughing up the cash? .. While this guy sounds like a scumbag, the homeowners' mindless trust of a slick talker is to blame as well.

39540223
Flag this comment

goldbar said on March 18, 2010 at 8:34 AM

He is a SCHMUCK. You cannot take people's hard earned money and walk away from a job. He has done this over and over and over. Even if he had a license, there is no guarantee that he would do the work. He is unethical and should not be able to continue to do this. Jail-YES.

39537451
Flag this comment

justice2 said on March 18, 2010 at 6:57 AM

It sucks for the rest of us that maintain a license because an unlicensed person can do the job cheaper! Hmmmmm....I wonder why all the large companies outsource everything!

39529927
Flag this comment

crazyeddie said on March 18, 2010 at 5:39 AM

Go down and get your license before you work on my house. It won't make you a better contractor, but the county will atleast have your fee I guess.

39524401
Flag this comment

Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?

Register Now

Member Benefits

Link your account to your Twitter or Facebook account for easier login!

Link your account to your Facebook profile Link your account to your Twitter profile

Check box to receive Free Special Offers

* - Indicates required field

Check box to receive Free Special Offers

Connecting to

You may need to allow pop up window for this step of registration

Just one more step:

Please take a moment to review the available e-mail newsletters has to offer. Place a checkbox next to the newsletters you wish to subscribe to.

Welcome.

Thank you for becoming a member of KING5.com. You now have full access to the best local coverage and late breaking news from KING5.com. Soon you will be redirected to the page you were seeking, and a confirmation email will be delivered to you.

You will need to respond to the confirmation e-mail for your account to be activated.

KING5.com is dedicated to bringing you exceptional news and outstanding information services, all while personalizing it to your liking. We're sure you'll enjoy being a KING5.com member! If you need assistance, please contact us.