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ARREST WARRANT HAS BEEN ISSUED: IS CONSTRUCTION SCAM ARTIST BACK IN TOWN?
Arturo Osteguin failed to do jobs for which he was paid, victims say
By Marc Robertson
A man who allegedly took money from Cotulla residents for home improvement jobs that he never completed may have returned to the area in search of new scam victims, according to investigating officers.
Identified as Arturo Osteguin, 52, the San Antonio man has previously provided various business names and phone numbers, many of which are fictitious or are no longer in service, and he is believed to have taken thousands of dollars from homeowners in Cotulla as recently as 2015 before disappearing for a year.
Among those investigating Osteguin’s alleged theft of services is La Salle County Sheriff’s Deputy Andres Flores, who is quick to note that the apparent scam artist is not believed to be working in collaboration with another home improvement contractor with the same last name.
“We understand from our investigations that Arturo Osteguin may be the brother of Mike Osteguin, who is doing legitimate work in the area,” the deputy said. “We contacted Mike Osteguin on Monday, February 20, and he reassured us that he and Arturo are not in business together and that he has no dealings with his brother.”
Arturo Osteguin is described as 5’11” in height, weighing 280 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes.
“What we are concerned about is the possibility that Arturo Osteguin is back in the area and that he is contacting people, asking for payment towards jobs that he may not ever do,” the deputy said. “From what we have learned so far, he has a history of proposing to do construction jobs and asking for up-front payment for materials, and then never returning.”
In a 2015 case on file at the sheriff’s office, Osteguin is accused of having taken $1,500 from a homeowner on Tilden Street for a project that was never carried out. The complaint against the suspect alleges that Osteguin made promises that he never kept, that he signed a work agreement, that he cashed a check for the advance payment the following day and then virtually disappeared, failing to answer telephone calls, changing his telephone number and becoming untraceable on the internet.
Deputy Flores said he was alerted to the case when the homeowner filed a complaint some eight months later. The deputy noted that he was able to track Arturo Osteguin to a San Antonio telephone number and contacted the man.
“He called me back again to confirm that he would have [the client’s] full deposit of $1,500 back by December 22 or risk facing criminal theft-of-service charges,” the deputy said of the case, adding that Osteguin never made any such effort and failed to meet a deadline for repaying the money he had taken from the homeowner. An arrest warrant for Arturo Osteguin was subsequently issued by Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Vicki Rodriguez.
Deputy Flores said this week that further reports indicate the homeowner on Tilden Street is not Arturo Osteguin’s only scam victim.
“We believe there are other homeowners who have been tricked in the same way, and that some residents may be ashamed to step forward and admit they were tricked,” the deputy said. “We need people to come forward and help us in this case. We don’t want to see any more innocent people defrauded of their hard-earned money.”