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Hill Country contractor files for bankruptcy as cases against him build

Nickles Wolfe, wife file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in San Antonio

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SAN ANTONIO – Federal court records obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders confirm that a Hill Country builder under investigation by the Texas Attorney General's Office has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Nickles Wolfe, who was the subject of a Defenders investigation earlier this month, filed for bankruptcy Monday, along with his wife.

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Alleged victims in five counties told the Defenders earlier this year that they made payments to Wolfe for construction work only to have him abandon the jobs before the projects were completed properly.

Wolfe is currently a defendant in at least four civil lawsuits, according to court records.

Wolfe contacted the Defenders via email after its investigation aired on television and promised to give his side during an on-camera interview, but he failed to show up for the scheduled interview.

A Kendall County man who hired Wolfe in 2017 to build a carport-patio combination said the structure will have to be dismantled and rebuilt properly, at a cost of more than four times what he originally planned to spend.

Another alleged victim, who hired Wolfe in 2018 to build an enclosed barn and driveway in Gillespie County, shared pictures of the incomplete project and large trash piles left behind by Wolfe.

Records show Wolfe accepted full payment for the job with the exception of a $2,000 completion fee.

Multiple people who hired Wolfe during the last several years said that they have been cooperating in recent weeks with an investigator wtih the Texas Attorney General's Criminal Investigations Division.

According to the bankruptcy filing, Wolfe listed $5 cash and two checking accounts with negative amounts in them against more than $290,000 in student loans and unsecured claims.

Wolfe's unsecured claims include $25,000 to a small business loan company and $17,000 to a church in Hondo as part of a construction dispute.

Wolfe did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story.

In a taped deposition earlier this month related to one of the lawsuits filed against him, Wolfe was repeatedly questioned about the extent of his construction background.

Wolfe denied telling clients that he had built hundreds of homes, according to a recording of the deposition viewed by the Defenders.

The lawsuit is scheduled for trial in Gillespie County in early July.


About the Authors
Dillon Collier headshot

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

Joshua Saunders headshot

Joshua Saunders is an Emmy-nominated photographer/editor who has worked in the San Antonio market for the past 20 years. Joshua works in the Defenders unit, covering crime and corruption throughout the city.

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