Denver contractor sentenced after pleading guilty to organized crime, fraud charges

DENVER — A contractor who stole more than $3 million from his victims pleaded guilty to five charges Thursday and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. 

The Denver District Attorney’s Office said in a release Thursday that Kyle Arienta, 40, pleaded guilty to one count under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, one count of securities fraud, one count of theft and two counts of burglary. 

Arienta stole about $1.1 million from three families who had hired him to complete construction projects on their homes in the Denver area, the release said. He abandoned all three projects after only doing minimal work, according to the release. He then convinced “numerous” former clients and friends to send them “investments” on a construction project that did not exist, the release said, ultimately stealing about $1.7 million from those victims. 

Arienta also burglarized several homes in Denver’s Crestmoor, Hilltop, Washington Park and Belcaro neighborhoods in November 2023, the release said. 

Arienta was sentenced to 23 years in prison and agreed to pay $3.3 million in restitution to his victims, according to the release. 

“Kyle Arienta was a prolific thief in our community, often preying on friends and acquaintances,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann in the release. “In addition to burglarizing numerous homes in the Denver area, Arienta also violated the trust of his clients and friends, stealing significant amounts of their money. I am very pleased that, as a result of this plea agreement, he is being held accountable for those crimes. I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates in my office, as well as the detectives with the Denver Police Department, whose extensive work on the case resulted in this successful outcome.”