A family of former building contractors is expected to be sentenced Monday for defrauding victims of the 36,807-acre Tubbs Fire, which ravaged Santa Rosa in 2017.
Salvador and Pamela Chiaramonte, along with their daughter, Amy Perry, are scheduled to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m. Monday, a spokesperson with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said.
A previous sentencing hearing was delayed in July because the family’s defense attorney wasn’t present.
In April, the defendants entered plea deals ahead of a preliminary hearing that would have determined if there was enough evidence for them to stand trial.
Salvador Chiaramonte pleaded no contest to 13 counts of diverting funds of at least $1,000 and one count of theft from an elder or dependent adult. Pamela Chiaramonte and Perry each pleaded no contest to one count of diversion of funds.
Defense attorneys maintain the family ran a legitimate business, Chiaramonte Construction & Plumbing, but got in over their heads after the fire wiped out 5,643 structures and killed 22 people.
Prosecutors and victims alleged the family made unfulfilled promises to rebuild homes and property owners presented allegations of fraud and negligence in May 2019.
Victims said they paid for work that was shoddily performed or not done at all, The Press Democrat first reported in 2019. They alleged the contractors missed deadlines, broke promises on construction start dates and let rebuilds drag on with no progress.
The California Contractors State License Board launched an investigation into Chiaramonte Construction in 2019 and later suspended its license for failure to maintain workers’ compensation coverage.
The company was dissolved and, in April 2020, the Chiaramontes’ filed for personal bankruptcy protection from creditors.
Criminal charges were filed against the Chiaramontes and Perry in July 2020.
Salvador Chiaramonte could be sentenced to six years in prison, but half of that may be on post-release community supervision. His wife faces 60 days under a jail alternative program and their daughter faces 160 days.
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi
