DENVER — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the 10-year prison term given to Avi Schwalb, a man convicted in an elaborate contracting scheme, should stand as a warning to those who exploit homeowners.
"This is a very important case with a very serious message. You rip people off, you take people’s money, leave them out of their homes, harm them by exposing them to asbestos, you’re going to be held to account," Weiser said. "Ten years. That is a serious sentence for a very serious crime."
On Monday, Denver District Court Judge Michael Angel sentenced Schwalb after a jury found him guilty on all 47 felony counts of theft, money laundering, and violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.
▶️ WATCH: AG, victims react to 10-year sentence for contractor
According to the Attorney General's office, Schwalb and business partners operating as Schwalb Builders and Avi’s Remodeling and Contracting took large customer deposits for home renovation projects between July 2021 and December 2024.
For more than two years, Denver7 Investigates has covered complaints about Schwalb Builders, with customers accusing the company of performing demolition or faulty work, abandoning jobs and leaving homes damaged and uninhabitable.
In Monday's sentencing hearing, Judge Angel told Schwalb: “While the court acknowledges that these were not violent acts, they were deliberate. They were calculated. They caused immeasurable harm to the individuals involved.”
The judge said many victims experienced significant financial losses and, in some cases, serious health impacts from unsafe construction practices, including asbestos contamination.
► Colorado AG, victims react to 10-year sentence for contractor:
The Attorney General’s Office is seeking nearly $1.4 million in restitution for victims, which will be decided at a later hearing.
Several victims spoke during sentencing, describing the toll on their finances, homes and health.
Kevin Collins told the court he paid Schwalb Builders more than $250,000 for a remodel that left his house uninhabitable for two years.
"My wife and I were able to get back home, but the people who weren’t able to go back home, the people who had to sell their home, the people who were too old to go back to work — That’s the real crime, and that weighs on me,” Collins said after the sentencing. "I have mixed feelings because there's people who can't recover from this."
Ben Davidson testified that Schwalb Builders caused a massive asbestos spill in his home.
"When I’m commuting to work, it hits me that I could be retired if we never hired Schwalb Builders and Avi’s Remodeling," said Davidson. "Avi Schwalb put money above all else, and believed that money can get you out of anything. I believe this motivation makes Avi Schwalb a dangerous individual who is unlikely to change his ways if he doesn’t suffer a significant consequence for his actions."
His wife, Karen Davidson, also gave a victim impact statement in court, describing the ongoing effects on their family's health.
"As for sentencing, there’s a real chance that because of the time we spent in the Schwalb’s wake, one or both of us will not live to be Avi’s age," she said. "This is our family sentence imposed by Avi Schwalb’s greed. If Avi is allowed to return to the community, he will likely continue the same patterns of greed, avoidance, victimization and blame. I urge you to confine Avi Schwalb to the only place where his generational cycle of harm will be stopped."
Prosecutors said Schwalb “preyed on hardworking Coloradans,” using their money to fund "an extravagant lifestyle."
Weiser said investigators believe Schwalb spent customer funds on “things like international travel” while telling victims they could not have unused deposits refunded.
Prosecutors also told the court they do not expect meaningful restitution, citing Schwalb’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. A trustee is now moving to liquidate more than a dozen properties.
Weiser called Avi Schwalb's conduct "predatory."
"It wasn’t like this happened once," said Weiser. "They did the same sort of thing again, again, again and again. That’s why this is such a serious case.”
Schwalb’s son, Sean Schwalb, is scheduled for a court hearing next month in a related case.
Other defendants are also awaiting trial.
Avi Schwalb's attorney did not reply to a request for comment. After the sentencing was rendered Monday, Avi told the court, in part: "Every business does mistakes, but nothing in purpose. We do not want to hurt any of those people."
