Two men arrested for deceptive business practices targeting elderly victims

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Law enforcement arrested two individuals on separate incidents of deceptive business practices targeting elderly victims, the El Paso County Constable’s Office, Precinct 4, said Wednesday.

First Incident

A 70-year-old man told a deputy constable he needed help with a missing vehicle on Jan 4. According to the constable's office, the man paid 53-year-old Jaime Montoya to fix his vehicle. On Dec. 3, 2026, he paid Montoya a $800 deposit and agreed to pay him another $800 when he fixed the vehicle.

On Dec. 11, 2026, Montoya told the man he finished repairs and needed the rest of the payment, the constable's office said. The man said he never got his vehicle back and Montoya allegedly refused to return it.

The constable's office said on Jan. 1, Montoya told the man he would return the vehicle. On Feb. 11, the man demanded Montoya return the vehicle, which he agreed to do on Feb. 13. However, the constable's office said Montoya failed to meet the victim.

On March 3, deputy constables found and arrested Montoya after obtaining an arrest warrant. He was booked into the county detention facility with a $20,000 bond a deceptive business practice offense, the constable's office said.

According to the constable's office, at the time of his arrest, Montoya was on probation for a similar incident and was arrested again March 21.

The constable's office added Montoya has a history of scamming. The constable's office noted two previous incidents: one where Montoya allegedly abandoned a victim's unrepaired vehicle and another where he "ghosted" a victim after their vehicle was impounded. In the second incident, the constable's office said the victim had to pay impound and storage fees to get their vehicle back.

Second Incident

On March 17, a woman told a deputy constable she believed her 82-year-old father was scammed, the constable's office said. The man contacted CS Plumbing to fix his water heater Feb. 27.

According to the constable's office, the owner, 65-year-old Gary William Starr, restarted his water heater. The man told Starr his water heater needed to be replaced.

Starr allegedly offered to replace the water heater for $3,500. Starr charged the man $2,300 upfront and said the remaining amount would be due after replacement.

The constable's office said Starr failed to replace the water heater by the agreed deadline and ignored the man's attempts to contact him.

The constable's office said deputies found Starr and acknowledged his failure to meet the agreement he made with the man. It added, Starr made no effort to complete the replacement or reimburse the man.

Wednesday, deputies arrested Starr in Socorro after obtaining arrest warrants. The constable's office said he was booked into the county detention facility on a $4,500 bond for a deceptive business practice offense and a $4,500 bond for a theft of property offense. The constable's office said Starr also has a history of similar offenses.