WESLACO - More potential victims came forward days after the Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against a Mission-based construction company.

Alma and Martin Ramirez gave Briseno Construction $45,000 as a down payment to have their $65,000 home built by the end of 2015.  A year after the down payment, the couple said their home was still incomplete.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS continues to receive phone calls from clients wondering what the lawsuit means for them. Some of them said they’ve had similar issues with Briseno Construction.

Rosalba and Frank Garcia said they just signed a contract with the company. They’re afraid they may lose the thousands of dollars they paid for their home.

The place the Garcias called home was damaged after Hurricane Dolly slammed the Gulf Coast in 2008.

“The whole house where it’s sitting down it just came down,” Frank said.

The couple said flooding caused the wood to decay and floors to sink in. They said remodeling wasn’t in their reach.

“It was going to come out pretty much like $30,000 to $40,000 just to remodel it. So, we decided to try and build a new house,” he said.

Frank said FEMA determined their home wasn’t damaged enough to award them assistance. He said they applied for a small business loan and were granted $23,000.

The Garcias said they went to Briseno Construction to set a deal.

“We just want a house right, and we went to them and they were actually real nice,” Rosalba said.

Frank said the company asked for a $20,000 down payment for a $51,000 house with no interest.

“What are we going to do? I mean all the trouble we had just to get that money from the bank and to start all over again?” Frank questioned.

The Garcias said they were surprised to see the company on the news months later.  

“I always tell my wife, how could this happen to us? We always hear on the TV about some other people happening it to them. We never expected that to happen to us,” he said.

Frank said they called the company to voice their concerns.

Briseno Construction told them construction for their house is on hold for now. The lawsuit prohibits the company from starting any new projects.

The Attorney General’s Office is seeking restitution for plaintiffs in the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the office said customers who are not a part of it, but would like their money back, need to file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection Division by calling at 512-475-4413 or visiting their website.

Pharr Regional Office:

3508 N. Jackson Rd., Suite 1500

Main Number: 956-682-4547

Fax Number: 956-283-1802