Colorado pastor ordered to repay family more than $300,000 for construction project; "This man lied to us"
A Denver judge this week ordered an area pastor, Tilo Lopez, to pay a family $311,000 in restitution after Lopez was criminally prosecuted in connection with a construction project he said he would do for the family.
In the restitution ruling, the judge noted that Lopez charged the family 542% more than he paid for the home demolition that was part of the construction project.
"This man lied to us," said Miguel Lara, whose elderly parents, Ventura and Elsie Lara, put their trust in Lopez, who calls himself "A missionary." "I love Jesus," Lopez previously said. Beyond his ministry, Lopez also ran a construction company, Remodeling Specialists LLC.
The Lara family knew Lopez for decades as a minister, and said they had faith in him due to his religious background.
"We just thought him being a man of God, we trusted him completely," said Elsie Lara, 77.
In 2020, the Laras signed contracts with Lopez, allowing him to tear down the home next door to theirs, which they owned, and then build a duplex so three generations of the Lara family could live side by side. Elsie Lara said she and her husband, who is 81, took out a $520,000 loan to pay Lopez and finance the construction project. They say it was their life savings.
But after demolishing their home, they say the work stopped and Lopez "disappeared," despite the fact that they paid Lopez at least $250,000 up front.
Denver prosecutors charged Lopez criminally, and last September, he pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return -- a felony -- and attempting to commit theft -- a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 12 years probation.
At a restitution hearing last week, a demolition contractor said Lopez hired him for $14,000 to demolish the home next door to the Laras, but then Lopez charged the Lara family $90,000 for the demolition, a 542% markup.
"I thought that was crazy," said demolition contractor Dennis Olivas.
Olivas testified Lopez told him not to reveal to the family how much Lopez had paid him for the demo job.
Another witness at the restitution hearing, an investigator with the Denver District Attorney's office, said Lopez paid a subcontractor $30,000 for asbestos abatement on the demolition, but then charged the Laras $150,000 for the work.
On Tuesday, Denver District Court Judge Jay Grant ordered Lopez to repay the Laras $311,191.64 to cover their losses and accrued interest.
Lopez's lawyer, Grant Grosgebauer, said Lopez would likely appeal the restitution order. The attorney did not offer any further comment or statements about the restitution order.
Tilo Lopez did not testify during the restitution hearing and has not publicly discussed the case or what happened.
Both Elsie and Ventura Lara had hoped to retire, but say the losses to Lopez have forced them both to continue working.
"The situation he put us in now," said Ventura Lara, "is we are living paycheck to paycheck because we don't have any money to fall back on."
His son, Miguel Lara, told CBS Colorado: "It was my dad's dream to save all that money and have something for his kids and be able to retire, and now it's the opposite."
The family says if they collect the $311,000 in restitution, it will help them pay down their construction loan, but they say they are mostly pleased that Tilo Lopez is being held accountable for his actions.
The family still pays $4,900 a month to a lender for loan payments for the duplex that was never built. They say they hope their experience serves as a warning to others to thoroughly check out contractors they plan to use, do diligent research and if something does go wrong, don't be afraid to speak up and seek help.
"The only fault we had," said the Lara's daughter, Juanita Aliste-Munoz, "is we believed in a minister that talked highly about God."
