Builder is accused of abandoning pool jobs

Two cases forwarded for possible criminal charges

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors announced this week it has forwarded two cases against an unlicensed Yuma pool builder to local prosecutors for possible criminal charges.

The agency alleges that two pool projects were started and abandoned, one in the county and the other in the city, by Anthony Michael Ponce, 34, who has been doing business at MAP Pool Builders since May.

The ROC says Ponce had signed contracts to build the two pools worth a combined total of $19,500, and was paid $19,900, then dis-

appeared without finishing the work.

When reached by the Sun through his Facebook account on Wednesday, Ponce said he did not have any knowledge about the allegations and declined to comment until he had more information.

ROC spokesman Jim Knupp said the investigator had tried to contact Ponce “multiple” times during the investigation, but he never responded.

The agency believes it has identified the right person: “The investigator received invoices, business cards, proofs of payment, and identified him from a photo lineup, and in the other the complainant actually brought a photo of him from Facebook,” Knupp said.

Ponce was also assessed $8,000 in civil penalties by the ROC for the two cases, Knupp said. It has not been contacted by either the Yuma County Attorney’s Office or the Yuma city prosecutor’s office on whether they plan to press charges, Knupp said.

The ROC is investigating several other allegations involving the work of unlicensed pool contractors in Yuma, Knupp said, and these types of complaints tend to increase along with the desert temperatures.

“This time of year people are getting into their pools and finding out they need to be repaired. Obviously complaints follow construction, and whenever there’s an increase in construction, we’ll also see complaints,” he said.

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors licenses and regulates residential and commercial construction contractors, and staff investigates complaints against licensed contractors and unlicensed entities.

Knupp said pool builders are required to be statelicensed before performing work except in certain situations, including for projects valued under $1,000, when a permit is not required, or when it’s part of a larger project.

Yuma Sun staff writer Blake Herzog can be reached at (928) 539-6856 or bherzog@yumasun.com.