Man accused of remodeling sham
If the names of established home builders Pulte and Centex sound familiar, it's probably not because you've hired Daniel De La Fuente to remodel your house. But using names similar to the well-known companies was how he came to the attention of many of the 25 homeowners that prosecutors plan to bring to the stand in De La Fuente's organized crime trial... "Well, my credit was a little ..." De La Fuente waved his hands as though juggling, "... my credit was real poor." He told jurors that he used a different personal name with each company name so that people would not be suspicious.

Man accused of remodeling sham
11/01/2006
Elizabeth Allen
Express-News Staff Writer

If the names of established home builders Pulte and Centex sound familiar, it's probably not because you've hired Daniel De La Fuente to remodel your house.

But using names similar to the well-known companies was how he came to the attention of many of the 25 homeowners that prosecutors plan to bring to the stand in De La Fuente's organized crime trial.

Using company names like "Pulte Building" and "Centex Building and Remodeling," and buying elaborate full-page ads in the SBC Yellow Pages, De La Fuente took money for remodeling work and in some cases never did any work, Assistant District Attorney Christina Playton said during opening statements Wednesday. In other cases his workers demolished kitchens or bathrooms and then disappeared.

De La Fuente, 45, insisted on representing himself in the trial in Judge Juanita Vasquez-Gardner's 399th District Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His opening remarks were lengthy and often frenetic, explaining to jurors that while he advanced only as far as the seventh grade, "my education, I did get it through the Gospel."

He contended that a salesperson knowingly set him up to buy the full-page phonebook ads that he didn't fully pay for and suggested that he simply change business names each year.

"Well, my credit was a little ..." De La Fuente waved his hands as though juggling, "... my credit was real poor."

He told jurors that he used a different personal name with each company name so that people would not be suspicious.

"Y'all can tell when a person is lying and when he speaks from the heart," he said.

He had a convincing enough manner in March 2005 that a young couple in a hurry to remodel their kitchen before their baby was born paid him $8,000.

John Castillo, an EMS paramedic, testified that he and his wife found De La Fuente through a "Centex" ad that promised 20 years experience in construction, engineering, architecture and design services, along with a "lifetime transferable warranty."

They were most impressed with the fact that De La Fuente said he could meet with them at home at night, after work and childbirth classes, Castillo said.

He told them his name was Mike, Castillo said.

After workers demolished their previously functional kitchen, tearing out cabinets and all appliances and leaving gaping holes, work stopped, Castillo said.

The Castillos' daughter was born in May. By then they had moved in with family, but eventually they returned to their house, sealed off the demolished kitchen and lived out of the bathroom sink and a microwave oven. It was months before they were able to repair the kitchen.

De La Fuente gave a list of references that prosecutors said turned out to be family members, Castillo said, and called his Centex "a sister company to the larger company."

There's not a lot Centex Homes can do about others using the name Centex, said division president Damon Lyles. But saying they're affiliated is a different matter.

"If you were to look through Central Texas here, from Waco to San Antonio, there's literally thousands of companies that have 'Centex' in them," Lyles said. "So unless they're using 'Centex Homes' or 'Centex Real Estate Corporation,' then we really can't go after them — unless they're representing that they're part of our company."

Pulte Homes could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA110206.03B.Contractor.2cfaa29.html