A man wanted in Honolulu for allegedly promising to perform tens of thousands of dollars in three home repairs but failing to follow through was arrested Tuesday in Las Vegas.
U.S. marshals identified 48-year-old Alexander Nebre as a "most wanted" fugitive in Hawaii and said he was arrested on felony warrants issued after he failed to appear for a Jan. 15 criminal hearing in Honolulu.
Honolulu police say Nebre identified himself as a licensed contractor to three homeowners but failed to complete home-contracting jobs for the homeowners from 2012 to 2014. In each case the victims gave large amounts of money as down payments for materials.
In 2014, Nebre was charged with eight counts of second-degree theft, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Police say prosecutors are looking at several other cases against Nebre, including for first-degree theft, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Deputy Marshal Melinda Kormos says members of a joint local and federal task force found Nebre a few blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip.
Records show Nebre is being held at the Clark County jail pending an extradition hearing on Thursday.
Jason Burks, Nebre’s attorney in Honolulu, said he has not spoken with Nebre since his arrest and does not know whether he will fight extradition to Hawaii or how long he has been in Las Vegas.
Nebre could also face a charge of bail jumping. The Honolulu prosecutor’s office said no additional charges had been filed as of Tuesday.
Nebre was arrested in June on suspicion of second-degree theft in one repair scam, then released after Ohana Bail Bonds posted his $150,000 bond. He forfeited the bond by failing to appear in court in January. A judge at the hearing issued bench warrants for Nebre and set his bail at $265,000.
On Monday the attorney for Ohana Bail Bonds filed a motion seeking to set aside the forfeiture of the bond. The attorney could not be reached for comment.
In February 2014, Nebre was charged with posing as a contractor to steal money from a woman.
While out on bond, he allegedly posed as a licensed contractor and took between $5,000 and $20,000 from an elderly Kaimuki couple, according to court documents. Charges for that offense came in June.
And in spring 2014, while out on bail, Nebre allegedly defrauded residents using the same contractor scam.
Between his release in February 2014 and his arrest in June, he was charged with six counts of second-degree theft for allegedly promising to do home repairs and not finishing them. According to court records, Nebre took more than $40,000 from victims in 2012.
In June 2013 a state circuit judge ordered Nebre to stop engaging in the business of a contractor until he obtains a license and ordered him to pay $204,566 in restitution to four victims for alleged activities in 2010-11, according to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The judge also fined him $88,980.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
