An El Paso man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for stealing up to $300,000 from more than a dozen people, including an 89-year-old woman, authorities said.
District Attorney James Montoya and County Attorney Cristina Sanchez announced in a joint press release that Thomas Jacinto Lopez, 25, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for elder exploitation and theft of property.
Thomas Jacinto Lopez
“The defendant’s repeated actions against an elderly widow with declining physical and mental health are absolutely reprehensible,” Montoya said in a statement. “Our office will continue to work with law enforcement to hold accountable those who engage in this predatory behavior.”
Lopez also pleaded guilty to another count of theft of property, which was prosecuted by the El Paso County Prosecutor’s Office. He was also sentenced to 25 years in prison for this crime. The sentences will run concurrently, court records show.
“Our office is aggressively pursuing individuals who engage in deceptive business practices that harm El Paso families and cost our community hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Sanchez said in a statement. “We strongly urge any resident who has been defrauded by a contractor or business to come forward and report it to their local police department to ensure we can build the strongest case possible.”
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409th District Court Judge Sam Medrano handed down the sentence on Dec. 11 at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in downtown El Paso.
Montoya said Lopez’s previous drug and theft felonies in Midland, Texas, were used to broaden the scope of the punishment.
Elderly woman scammed at assisted living center
In the case filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Lopez admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from an 89-year-old man beginning in 2017, the release said.
The scheme involved Lopez receiving money from the woman in exchange for “performing home maintenance,” the release said. Lopez continued to deceive the woman while she was living in an assisted living center. He visited the woman at the center and asked her to pay him the $16,000 he owed. The woman gave Lopez the money.
The woman reported the scam to the El Paso Police Department in 2023.
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Lopez defrauded 13 people in business fraud scheme
In the case prosecuted by the El Paso County Prosecutor’s Office, Lopez stole $150,000 to $300,000 from 13 people in a construction project scam, the release said. The fraud occurred between 2020 and 2022.
The scheme involved “Lopez taking funds from victims for major construction projects, such as installing swimming pools, but then abandoning the work after completing only a small portion of the contracted work,” according to the release.
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The case against Lopez was investigated by the El Paso Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and Anthony Police Department.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. You can contact him at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: El Paso scammer pleads guilty, sentenced to 25 years in prison