CANYON LAKE, Texas – A convicted felon, who twice promised a court he would no longer work as a contractor, has once again been accused of accepting money for work and not completing the projects.
Homeowners in Converse and Canyon Lake told KSAT Investigates that Carlos Elizondo, 53, accepted payments to complete decks and awnings but abandoned those jobs after doing little work.
‘When I pay somebody my money, that the work should be done’
Shantel Brown said the tension between her and Elizondo became so intense that her children had to talk her out of going to Elizondo’s home to try and recoup her money.
“I got up, put my shoes on, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go over here and get my money,’” Brown said.
Brown hired Elizondo in 2024 to build a back deck and patio covering at her recently purchased home in Converse.
However, months after the contract was signed and Brown had paid Elizondo more than $5,000, Brown said the deck was nowhere near completion.
“I felt like he was just leaving bread crumbs,” Brown said. “Coming here and there, here and there, just to do enough, so that I won’t ask him about it anymore.”
Home security footage provided by Brown shows her berating Elizondo for making minimal progress on the project.
“This ain’t my lane, but I know what is my lane is: when I pay somebody my money, that the work should be done,” Brown told Elizondo in the 2024 footage.
Elizondo eventually walked off the job. Brown said she was forced to hire another contractor to redo the small amount of work Elizondo had completed, including changing the direction of the deck frame boards.
Brown said Elizondo paid back $600 of the $5,200 he owed via Cash App but has not had any contact with Brown in more than a year.
Brown told KSAT she attempted to report Elizondo to law enforcement in the Converse area but was told she would need to pursue the remaining funds in civil court.
Brown said she is now attempting to do just that, but she is far from alone.
Elizondo has been arrested on 15 theft charges, mostly in Bexar County, since late 2014, court records and previous KSAT Investigates reporting show.
Dozens more people have attempted to file criminal complaints against Elizondo, only to be told by law enforcement that their complaints are a civil matter.
Elizondo is on felony probation in Bexar County for theft until May 2028 and in Hays County until July 2028.
During a sentencing hearing for Elizondo in Bexar County in 2023, Elizondo’s then-attorney said his client would no longer be doing contracting work.
In a sentencing hearing previous to then, another attorney for Elizondo told the judge Elizondo’s contracting days were over.
‘Excuses, excuses, excuses’
Diane Michelle Brosnan of Canyon Lake told KSAT she wishes she had known about Elizondo’s criminal history after coming into contact with him last summer.
Brosnan hired him to build front and back decks and a front metal covering at her home.
“And he was really persistent on me paying half,” Brosnan said.
Records show Brosnan paid Elizondo $3,400 up front for the $6,600 project.
“The way that he portrayed himself to be, I trusted him,” Brosnan said. “I had trust in him.”
Elizondo tore down the home’s existing back deck and installed poles for a 4-by-4 foot deck, even though the project called for the deck to be 6-by-8 feet.
Brosnan said Elizondo redid the frame but installed the poles off-center before abandoning the job altogether. She said Elizondo left a falling hazard where Brosnan’s back deck used to be.
“Excuses, excuses, excuses,” said Brosnan, who explained that Elizondo kept delaying the work by telling her that family members passed away and his children were in the hospital.
Brosnan told KSAT she has been unable to recoup any of her money from Elizondo and planned to file a criminal complaint against him in Comal County after he did not respond to a formal demand letter late last year.
A few miles away, Canyon Lake resident Mason Weems hired Elizondo in August 2024 to extend his back deck and build a metal roof for it.
“I’ve got nine grandkids. I need room for grandkids to run around,” said Weems, a transplant recipient who had 11 combat deployments in 20 years of service.
Weems paid Elizondo $2,500 up front — half of the $5,000 cost for the project.
“He has supplied about $270 worth of lumber and labor and ghosted me,” Weems said.
After waiting more than a year for Elizondo to complete the work, Weems and a friend attempted to finish the job themselves last summer.
After Weems filed a theft of services complaint against Elizondo last August, Weems said Comal County Sheriff’s deputies told him it was a civil matter since some materials were delivered.
“Well, I think I’m learning the hard way you don’t pay anybody a dime until the job’s done,” Weems said.
Elizondo blamed his contracting woes on tariffs
Elizondo did not respond to multiple requests from KSAT Investigates seeking comment for this story.
The North Side home he previously occupied was vacant and is now listed on the real estate market.
Court records show Elizondo was evicted from the home last summer, after falling months behind on rent.
While unsuccessfully appealing the eviction in July, Elizondo wrote that contracting work had been “really slow” and that material costs for his work had increased because of “tariffs.”
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.