Font ResizeLAS CRUCES - A construction fraud and embezzlement case encompassing 16 sets of victims and allegations from 2002 to 2007, has finally started in 3rd Judicial District Court.
A jury began to hear prosecution witnesses Tuesday and the case is expected to conclude this week.
Before his death in late October, Raymond Winsor, 69, had been facing charges of fraud, embezzlement and conspiracy and fraud by worthless check. Gary Winsor, 41, was indicted on the same charges, plus a charge of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle. Neither had been arrested.
The Winsors' companies were hired to do roof work, additions and remodeling, jobs priced between $3,000 and $15,000, according to Assistant District Attorney Richard Wellborn. The state maintains the Winsors were contracted to do construction-related work and ended up taking clients' money and down payments, never to be seen again, according to Wellborn. In one case, he said, the Winsors removed a home's roof and left it exposed for so long that the inside of the house became damaged and another company had to be hired to complete the work.
Defense attorney Jerry Montrose said in March that he was "totally ready to proceed and fight each and every allegation."
The 16 complainants named in the suit represent just a fraction of the many customers the Winsors had, Montrose said at the time. Many of the cases concerned contract disputes that should have been worked out in civil court, he said.
"We feel certain we're
Close to 50 lawsuits against the Winsors - and their companies, which used the names Winsor Construction, RayWin Construction, WCS Inc. and Western Truss - have already resulted in civil judgments against the Winsors, according to court records. Between 1997 and 2005, about $1 million in debt accumulated by the Winsors has been forgiven by bankruptcy court, according to court records.
Ashley Meeks can be reached at ameeks@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5462
