A Kent woman whose construction business left an elderly couple with a ripped-up driveway and a half-dozen unfinished projects has been ordered to repay the homeowner $17,310.
Diona Brady, 53, pleaded guilty recently to unregistered contracting in King County District Court, according to a state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) press release on Wednesday. The court sentenced Brady to two years probation for the gross misdemeanor and ordered her to pay the one surviving victim $17,310. That’s the amount the homeowner had to pay other firms to finish the work she originally paid Brady’s company to do.
If Brady works as an unregistered contractor or breaks other laws during probation, she faces up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
There’s still an arrest warrant out for Brady’s husband, Rodney Brady, 60, who failed to appear on an unregistered contracting charge stemming from the same incident.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case based on a L&I investigation.
“This is an all-too-familiar example of an unregistered contractor taking advantage of vulnerable victims,” said Elizabeth Smith, assistant director of L&I’s Fraud Prevention & Labor Standards. “As we enter the construction season, anyone who’s planning a home remodel or repair should make sure their contractor is registered. Hiring a registered contractor gives you the best chance for a successful project.”
Diona Brady was doing business as Renaissance A-Z LLC when the company was hired to remodel a home in the Campbell Hill area just south of Seattle in August 2010. Unknown to the homeowners, L&I had suspended Brady’s contractor registration four months earlier.
Diona Brady wrote bids to remove and replace the house’s concrete driveway with asphalt, build a carport, replace windows and perform other work totaling more than $31,000, according to charging papers. One project was particularly important to the homeowners: Installing metal railings on the main entrance for the then-74-year-old husband, a diabetic who was unsteady on his feet.
The entire job was supposed to take three weeks, but charging papers say it stretched into five months, as Rodney Brady worked less and less while asking for more money. In January 2011, he stopped working at the site, even though not a single project − including installation of the metal rails − was completed.
The homeowners had already paid the Bradys $31,400.
The wife reported the incident to L&I in March 2011. L&I cited Diona Brady with an unregistered contracting infraction, but she never responded.
Then, acting on a referral from L&I, prosecutors charged Diona and Rodney Brady in 2011, who both failed to appear at arraignment that year. The case remained open, and Diona Brady appeared in court to answer her charge in 2015.
Meanwhile, the 78-year-old husband died in 2014.
• Consumers should always verify whether a contractor is registered with L&I, even if a friend recommends the contractor. In addition, getting written bids from at least three contractors and checking their references will help make for more informed decisions. For more tips and to check contractor registration, go to ProtectMyHome.net or call L&I at 1-800-647-0982.
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