WESLACO – Property owners, investors and even suppliers say they became victims and lost thousands of dollars to the same contractor.

Property owner Santiago Galvan says he found contractor David Garcia of Rise Construction on Craigslist.

He says he signed a contract with the builder and first-time investor Limeya Escabarte, who gave him more than $76,000.

Escabarte and Galvan signed the contracts in the summer of 2016; construction started shortly after and has been at a standstill since then.

Another property owner in Edinburg was stuck paying another $80,000 to a different construction company in order to complete their house.  

"It's so sad to also to hear that the amount he take from the bank supposed to be allocated for the materials. So what happened now the lien on the supplier filed a case against my property,” says Noli Bodoraya.

KRGV’s Angelo Vargas reached out to several supply companies for more information.

Matt’s Cash and Carr co-owner Jeremy Smith tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS Rise construction owes them money as well.

"There were several homes involved, custom homes, that we had to file liens against really hurting the customers involved in the process,” says Smith.

We spoke directly with the contractor who says he kept in communication with everyone either via email or through his attorney.

"I told the clients look I have to recoup funds from some other projects and close them to be able to go in there. I could not continue to pay. I paid 17 months of interest on that home. No interest has been charged to the client, no closing fees have been charged to the client," says Garcia.

Hidalgo County court records show three criminal cases against Garcia, all of which involve theft.  

Watch the video above for the full story.