Contractor who stole from Marshall Fire victims pleads guilty

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — An Aurora-based contractor accused of stealing from four property owners who were rebuilding their homes in the Marshall Fire pleaded guilty on Tuesday.

Leona Scott, 63, took more than $1.3 million from the four property owners but never finished work, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said. He was arrested in June and initially charged with two counts of felony theft and pleaded guilty to one of those charges Tuesday morning in Boulder County District Court.

The agency said he entered into separate contracts with each of the owners and took their money but did not use that money as intended. In addition, the sheriff’s office said he was not properly licensed to build homes in Boulder County.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, four property owners paid Scott $1.6 million between July 2022 and August 2023.

One homeowner reported that he believed Scott may have spent the money meant for the job on other items and noted the day after he paid Scott $200,000, he showed up in a brand-new truck, the affidavit says. When investigators looked over his bank withdrawals, they found Scott spent about $58,000 on vehicle expenses – some of which went to a Nissan dealer.

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They also noticed there were twice as many “personal” withdrawals than “business” withdrawals from his three bank accounts. The personal expenses include nearly $20,000 that was spent on travel. The affidavit states Scott reportedly paid $28,000 to a church he attends; that money went to church staff, their families and other religious associations.

Scott is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 27.