COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A settlement was set Wednesday against Coeur d’Alene contractor Alexander Welstad and his construction company NAA Partners.
The settlement came after the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division office received complaints against Mr. Welstad’s business practices, alleging over $790,000 in consumer losses.
Welstad owns and operates NAA Partners, which is advertised as Mammoth Pole Builders in Idaho, Washington and Montana. According to Welstad’s advertising, he built quality pole barns and other buildings.
"Within a four-month period, my office received 17 complaints regarding Mr. Welstad’s business practices,” Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said in a written statement.
The settlement revokes Welstad’s Idaho contractor registration and permanently prohibits him from advertising or providing construction services in the state.
According to the written statement, customers reported to the Idaho Office of Attorney General that they made payments for construction services to Welstad, and he never provided or completed those services. Also, customers who received partially constructed buildings complained the buildings had material defects.
The settlement requires Welstad to pay restitution to affected consumers. It imposes $55,000 in civil penalties and $2,000 in attorney’s fees if Welstad violates the settlement’s terms.
However, according to the written statement, Welstad has informed the office that he is planning to file for bankruptcy. According to the statement, if he does, his financial obligations under the settlement are subject to the bankruptcy court’s jurisdiction.
The Office of the Attorney General is asking consumers who may have been victims of Welstad’s construction practices to file a consumer complaint with the Consumer Protection Division. Consumers can call (208) 334-2424 or fill out an online complaint form at www.ag.idaho.gov.
Wasden recommends that consumers do research before signing construction contracts or paying contractors money.