Las Vegas residents denied reimbursement from the state after reporting they lost thousands in contractor scam

Posted By: EN Todayon: July 18, 2025In: General Energy News, Oil & Gas News

On June 10, the Nevada State Contractors Board issued a consumer alert about a company owner and associate who were arrested for fraudulent construction practices. The company in question was Patio Covers 4 Less.

Ryan Vozzola, who was named as principal and Amy Rusch, who was named as de facto partner, were arrested and subsequently released. They now await hearings later this month.

Patio Covers 4 Less had 40 different complaints filed against it by consumers claiming they signed contracts and put down deposits only to never see the work completed. The company reportedly collected over $137,000 in deposits it never made good on.

The good news is that Nevada has protections in place to reimburse homeowners in situations like these. The bad news is that because of a technicality, some of the people who say they were scammed by Patio Covers 4 Less are now getting the runaround.

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A frustrating situation

A 2022 report by the Inspection Support Network found that since 2007, the Federal Trade Commission had received 109,000 reports of home improvement scams, with an average of 6,124 scams per year.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau, meanwhile, says contractor fraud costs American homeowners billions of dollars every year and that such schemes are extremely common following major disasters like hurricanes. However, it could clearly happen at any time. In the case of Patio Covers 4 Less, Vozzola and Rusch are accused of taking homeowners’ money as deposits and simply not delivering on the work that was promised.

Nevada does have a Residential Recovery Fund that awards up to $40,000 to homeowners who are scammed by a licensed contractor. But, as 8 News Now reports, many people who were scammed by Patio Covers 4 Less are not eligible for compensation due to a technicality

It’s common for contracting businesses to have subsidiaries and instruct clients to write checks to those subsidiaries. In this case, clients of Patio Covers 4 Less were instructed to make their deposit checks out to other businesses. Because of this, they’re not eligible for compensation.

Robert Enrile told 8 News Now he paid Patio Covers 4 Less $1,200. He then received denial letters from the Nevada State Contractors Board after he applied for compensation through the Residential Recovery Fund.

“They denied me because I wrote the check to Vegas Shade, not to Patios Covers 4 Less,” he said.

Kirk Leyton paid Patio Covers 4 Less $2,500 and also wrote a check to Vegas Shade. His claim was denied for the same reason.

“Patio Covers for Less needs to pay for their crime and the people associated with it,” Leyton said. “The other side is the contractors’ board. They’re not living up to their responsibilities.”

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The math behind the denials

It’s unfortunate that so many homeowners have lost money in this incident — especially as they made their deposits in good faith.

The Nevada State Contractors Board revoked the company’s contractor license in March of 2025 and began working with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office at the time to prosecute the pair.

However, Luis Quesada, Director of Investigations of the Nevada State Contractors Board, insists that the rules are the rules based on how the program was set up.

“It’s very important, especially in these large projects, that you read and verify the contract. Make sure you’re paying the contractor, the business itself,” Quesada told 8 News Now. Quesada also said that writing a check to a different business name is a common red flag.

“I can empathize and I really feel terrible for these folks because it’s really a double whammy,” Quesada told 8 News Now. However, he said, “We have to follow the law.”

The Fund’s rules expressly state, “The Fund is not available to homeowners who have hired unlicensed contractors.” A search does not reveal a license number associated with Vegas Shade, even if the parent company was licensed.

Still, the affected homeowners may have some options. Quesada said victims can still pursue legal remedies through the civil court system.

However, because the deposits that were made did not match up to the business name, or match up to a licensed contractor, funds from the Residential Recovery Fund continue to be off limits.

To avoid a similar situation going forward, homeowners should make sure to only write their checks to the actual company they’re contracting, not anyone else.

They should also check the Better Business Bureau for contractor ratings and complaints before signing a contract and verify that their contractor’s license is current and legitimate.

Each state has its own method for issuing licenses and Nevada’s can be found here.