More homeowners are coming forward after prosecutors charged the owner of a Golden, Colorado, landscaping company with felony theft, with several telling Denver7 Investigates they lost thousands of dollars on projects that never started. The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office charged Ulises Tajonar Diaz, 32, with two counts of felony theft, according to Denver7. Prosecutors allege he took more than $32,000 in deposits from two Jefferson County homeowners for work that was never started on projects like sunrooms and other home improvements.
Diaz operated several landscaping companies across the Denver metropolitan area under the name “My Son’s Landscape,” and he also had an additional business he called “My Son’s Landscape Group LLC.” The investigation into his operations started back in June, after the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received two separate theft reports involving Diaz and his operation. In each case, the homeowner said they entered into a contract with Diaz for a residential landscape project and paid a deposit, but no work was performed before he allegedly cut off all communication. The homeowners reported the missing work and their lost deposits to the sheriff’s office, and those two reports led to the investigation into his business practices.
Ryan Harmon, a Golden homeowner, told Denver7 that he hired Diaz as a landscaper after seeing completed projects in his neighborhood and hearing about the quality of his work from neighbors. Harmon said his landscaping project was expected to cost roughly $14,000, and that before starting the work, Diaz requested a 50% deposit up front. Harmon paid about $7,000, but once he handed the money over, communication with Diaz broke down, and the work never began.
Harmon said he had checked the company’s online reputation first and found around 291 mostly positive Google reviews. He and his wife had wanted to turn a portion of their yard into a safe space for their child to play after having a baby. To date, no conviction exists against Diaz, and the allegations against him remain accusations.
What Charges Is Diaz Facing?
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed two counts of felony theft against Diaz on July 27, each carrying a value between $5,000 and $20,000. According to the office, one count involves a Golden couple who contacted Diaz in February 2026 about a large landscaping project after learning of his work from neighbors. The couple said Diaz met with them several times to take measurements and go over materials before providing a contract totaling $39,775, and that they paid a $19,000 deposit by personal check on May 2 for work set to begin June 9.
The couple told investigators Diaz never showed up, rescheduled several times, and then stopped responding to their emails and texts by mid-June. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office opened the case after receiving the two reports, and the district attorney’s office has said investigators are seeking additional information, a sign the inquiry may expand as more homeowners come forward. Organizers who have been in touch with affected customers told Denver7 that 10 more people have since reached out.
How Homeowners Can Protect a Deposit on Home Work
Cases like this one turn on a large deposit paid before any work is done, which is the point of greatest risk in a home improvement contract. Colorado consumer-protection guidance generally advises keeping upfront payments as small as the contractor will accept, tying later payments to completed stages of the job rather than paying most of the cost in advance, and paying by a method that leaves a paper trail and some recourse. A credit card, for instance, allows a chargeback in a way a personal check does not.
Positive reviews and neighborhood word of mouth are reassuring but not a guarantee, since a business can build a strong reputation and still fail to deliver later. Homeowners can verify that a contractor is licensed where required, confirm the business is properly registered, and put the full scope, schedule, and payment terms in a written contract before handing over money.
Anyone who believes they have been defrauded can file a report with their local sheriff or police and a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General’s office.