Aurora painter accused of scamming disabled woman, several others

Posted: Jul 22, 2015 / 09:17 PM MDT

Updated: Jul 23, 2015 / 05:05 AM MDT

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AURORA, Colo. — FOX31 Denver Problem Solvers looked into a case of a painter who allegedly was paid for jobs that he never finished, scamming several, including a disabled woman.

Tammy Vittorelli’s multiple sclerosis is so debilitating that she sleeps in the family of her two-story home and hasn’t been outside in months.

“My whole life is in this room,” she said.

That’s why she and her husband Gary are desperately trying to sell the home so they can buy a place that’s handicapped accessible. So the couple hired Bruce Kolbe, owner of Jamax construction, to paint the home.

Instead, Vittorelli said Kolbe took all of her money upfront and left her stranded in a half-painted home no one will buy.

“I am stuck here until we can get it fixed,” she said.

According to Kolbe’s contract with the Vittorellis, he agreed to paint the house and repair the stoop for $4,200.

Vittorelli wrote checks up front for the required $500 deposit and $3,000 in materials.

“I trusted him,” she said.

Then Kolbe started painting the white house green, but before it was close to complete, the Tammy Vittorelli said Kolbe walked off the job and stopped returning her calls.

“My husband took pictures of it so I could see kind of what it looks like. It made me want to cry because it looks horrible,” Tammy Vittorelli said.

The Problem Solvers looked into Kolbe’s history and discovered Vittorellis are not alone. We tracked down other alleged victims and found several lawsuits filed against Kolbe and his construction companies; Jamax Construction and Koljake Construction Company. All victims claim Kolbe took money for jobs that were never completed.

Investigative reporter Heidi Hemmat called Kolbe for comment, but he claimed the Vittorellis owed him money and then said, “I have nothing more to say about this” before hanging up the phone.