Contractor Who Stole More Than $9,000 Arrested

A Santa Rosa man who defrauded at least 13 elderly victims out of more than $9,000 by promising to make repairs on their mobile homes and then disappearing, has been arrested, the Petaluma Police Department said Wednesday.

Timothy Silva, 58, has been charged with seven counts of contracting without a license, six counts of theft, and six counts of theft from an elderly person after police say he collected money from residents of Leisure Lake Mobile Home Park at 300 Stony Point Road but failed to do any work.

Most of the alleged fraud occurred last summer, but it took time for detectives to investigate the case and obtain the arrest warrant from the District Attorney’s Office.

In one case, Silva offered to level out a resident’s mobile home for $2,000 and was given an initial payment of $350. But after about half an hour of work, Silva said he needed an additional $150 for parts and said he would return in a couple of days to complete the repair. He never returned.

Police are reminding residents to check with the California State Licensing Board to see if a contractor has a current license and not pay for services until all work is completed.