Craftsman Homes owners arrested after 13 Investigates uncovers millions of dollars of fraud

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested the owners of Craftsman Homes and Interiors, Dwight and Joni Mulberry, on Tuesday for defrauding customers of more than $2 million.

KRDO13 Investigates initially broke this story last July. A handful of victims claim they paid the Mulberrys hundreds of thousands of dollars for custom homes, only for the Mulberrys to abandon the projects and run off with the money.

“We've written off the money,” said Roger Ewer. “We know that's not coming back, but we can't give up on the hope that there will be consequences.”

The Ewers paid the Mulberrys thousands in 2020 to build their dream home in Monument. However, the project remains unfinished. On Wednesday, the Ewers told KRDO13 Investigates they were shocked about the arrest, because they were told by multiple law enforcement agencies their case never constituted criminal charges.

“I cried,” said Sandy Ewer when she heard the Mulberrys were arrested. “I was so ecstatic. Just to feel validated. We lost a lot and more than just money.”

Following KRDO13 Investigates’ special report, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call from one of the victims, so the agency started to look into the allegations and slowly built a case.

“Looking at their finances and how they paid for their home projects, I was able to get financial records for Craftsman Homes,” said El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Detective Tamara Tadlock. “At that point, I started following the money.”

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office found that between 2021 and 2023 the Mulberrys stole, defrauded and laundered more than $2 million from 19 victims. The couple is facing 43 total charges, including 22 counts of money laundering, six counts of fraud by check, 12 counts of theft and three counts of securities fraud. And the agency said there are likely more victims.

“I've gotten a few calls this morning, and I know dispatch is getting some calls today,” Tadlock said.

Doug and Lucinda McIver paid the Mulberrys hundreds of thousands of dollars for what they called their retirement home on a quiet lot in northern Woodland Park on the edge of a small lake.

After the Mulberrys abandoned it with only the foundation poured, the McIver’s moved on, not wanting to waste energy worrying about them.

“None of that will bring back the money they took,” Doug McIver said. “It won't bring back the home that we didn't build or the lot that we sold.”

After their arrest, the Mulberrys bonded out of jail, so KRDO13 Investigates went looking for them. Neither Dwight nor Joni answered their phones or responded to our text messages. They also didn’t answer their door when we showed up at their house.

Many of the victims in this case filed civil lawsuits after they were told there wasn’t enough criminal evidence. Now, even with this criminal case, the victims told KRDO13 Investigates, it’s unlikely they will see any money that was allegedly stolen from them.

“Getting even to this point is a miracle in my mind,” Roger said. “Whatever happens after this is just icing on the cake right now.”

However, victims hope this criminal case sets an example in Colorado, which is known to have weak contractor fraud laws.

“It would be nice for the people of Colorado to feel like if they get into a situation where they're trying to build a house or renovate and something goes wrong, there's consequences out there that drives that contractor to do the right thing.”

If you have a tip or story for the investigative team, email us at 13Investigates@krdo.com.