A Twin Cities man with a criminal history was fined $10,000 and ordered to stop doing business as a residential contractor, remodeler and roofer after the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry found he was operating without a license, according to an order made public this week.
The state began investigating Mark M. Kotek after receiving a complaint from a Bloomington homeowner who hired Kotek's Kotek Construction Co. LLC to remodel her kitchen. She gave Kotek a $5,194 deposit for the $10,400 project, but her cabinets and granite countertops never fit and were not the ones she ordered.
The homeowner also reported that Kotek failed to pay the supplier of the cabinets and "the supplier is now threatening to file a mechanic's lien on her property," the Department of Labor's enforcement order said.
As of today, the Kotek Construction website is still active and says it is a "fully licensed fully serviced Minnesota construction company specializing in transforming your home into something you can truly love. We offer a wide range of services for homeowners in Minneapolis including interior renovations for your bathroom and kitchen as well as exterior upgrades to your siding, gutters and roof."
Kotek Construction was given a license on July 16 but with a different owner's name. The state found Kotek was never registered as the owner of Kotek Construction, but always identified himself as its owner. The department suspended Kotek Construction's license, effective Aug. 7.
The department said in its order that it would have sought to deny the company's license application if Kotek had been listed as an officer because of his criminal history. In 2009, Kotek was convicted of theft by swindle, a felony, in Le Sueur County.
Kotek could not be reached for comment. His business was based in Minneapolis and Burnsville, according to the department.
