Contractor fined $40,000 in roofing scam

Former Flathead Valley contractor John Mulinski and his company, Sunrise Quality Construction, must pay the Montana Department of Labor and Industry $40,000 for violating contractor registration laws.

The $40,000 fine, which includes $5,000 for each of eight violations proven in the case, is the largest penalty ever imposed on a contractor in Montana, the labor department said.

Mulinski was accused of bilking dozens of homeowners and former employees of his company out of thousands of dollars while leaving homes with unfinished roofs.

“This contractor had a clear pattern of failing to give a true address for his business and taking substantial down payments only to leave homeowners with partially completed roofing projects,” Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly in a statement Monday. “We want to send a clear message that this type of practice will not be tolerated in the state of Montana.”

The state began investigating Mulinski last fall, adding a second investigator as the scope of the case increased and involved other areas of the state such as Great Falls, in addition to the Flathead Valley.

Initial complaints were brought against Mulinski, who was a registered contractor with the state of Montana, for failing to provide a true address while engaging in contracting, which violates state law. The state has suspended Mulinski’s contractor registration.

During the investigation it was determined neither Mulinski nor Sunrise Quality Construction was ever located or in any way affiliated with two addresses listed for him in Whitefish.

Yet Mulinski repeatedly represented to each of the homeowners in his contracts that Sunrise Quality Construction was located at either address, making it impossible for homeowners to track him down once he left the job unfinished.

 Mulinski also has worked in Oregon and California and is awaiting trial in Washington for 15 felonies that include scamming property owners and subcontractors out of about $1 million.