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DENVER — Two Colorado men have been charged with allegedly taking customers’ money to have solar systems installed or repaired and not completing the work.
Nathan Billmaier and Scot Birrell are each facing 11 felony counts after the state grand jury handed down indictments in September. Birrell and Billmaier face charges of tax evasion, varying amounts of theft, and conspiracy and racketeering under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
Billmaier was the owner of CJR Partners LLC, which was doing business as Sopris Solar. Birrell was a managing member and sometimes registered agent for Sopris, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Victims in the case are from all over the state including Park, Weld, Eagle, San Miguel, Prowers and Summit counties.
The men are accused of taking clients’ money and depositing it into Sopris’ accounts, but not doing the work of installing solar systems, the indictment alleges. The AG’s office said the pair took in hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients. Two of the customers gave Sopris more than $100,000 in deposits, but had no work done. When the clients requested refunds, they received no responses from either Billmaier or Birrell, according to the indictment.
Billmaier and Birrell are each charged with:
Birrell is in custody in the Denver jail under a $100,000 cash/surety bond. Billmaier is still on the loose, the AG’s office said. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call police.
