Warning for those looking for a contractor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection and just received this reply today from Elrahimy’s lawyer, “This matter is not properly filed as a consumer protection act claim as no misrepresentations were allegedly made by Optimum. Instead, this case involves a claim made by a homeowner after receiving a letter from Optimum Construction, Inc. on January 20, 2023 wherein Optimum informed its customer that it regretfully had to cease operations and close the Company. Optimum is in the process of notifying its General Liability Insurance Carrier of the potential for claims so that any homeowners who claim that the work performed by Optimum was defective or that Optimum’s negligence caused them damages will have a potential avenue for recovery. Optimum also plans to file for protection from its creditors in the United States Bankruptcy Court shortly. This decision was not made at the time that any of the Complainant’s payments were made. It is expected that the Complainant will be identified as a potential creditor who will be permitted to participate in the Bankruptcy proceeding.
Optimum does not dispute the agreed upon draw schedule provided within the Contract but denies that it ever received a payment knowing that it would not perform work on the subject project.
Please review and contact me if further information is required to complete the conversion. Thank you for your consideration“

It is signed by Roderick R. Barnes
Attorney in Baltimore Telephone: [phone]

We made a 2nd payment of $16,005 on 1/4/23 and received the letter from him on 1/20/23. All we received from him was a set of blueprints

Of course his lawyer would try to say he did nothing wrong... I hope omar gets it at some point or at least before he flees the country.

[Anonymous]

i basically got the same letter word for word

[Anonymous]

Stole all our money and blowing it on racecars... totally legit, nothing to see here.

[Anonymous]

Optimum construction scammed my elderly mother out of money as well. As noted above, my mom put a 30% deposit down and received NOTHING but draft drawings. She kept getting the run around from Laura and Omar. When she finally put her foot down and demanded her money back, they sent her an email saying they were claiming bankruptcy. This man needs to go down for his fraudulent ways. Are most of you using the same attorney? I saw there are some cases on the MD Case search. Wondering if my mom should reach out to one of these attorneys too.

[Anonymous]

I hate reading these stories. My family has been in the HVAC business for 40+ years and have been on the wrong side of these situations as well when a remodeler or custom builder has gone under. Worst one was a longtime customer that was building their dream home in MoCo. They paid $500k for a hole in the ground. My recommendations for starting any thing more than minor remodeling project or construction:

-Check court records to make sure the company is paying their bills.
-Check the trade licenses the company is running under. If there's been a recent switch or the license holder was employed by another company that went under be wary. Linkedin and sites that data mine permits like Porch and helpful here.

-Construction bonding is readily available and cheap (~2.5% of job cost is the going rate). Its common in any kind of commercial construction; I've never understood why it isn't in residential work.

-In Maryland the MHIC programing is woefully outdated with the costs of modern construction and the number of jobs contractors will take on at one time. There is an interesting case with a pool company that went under last fall (Catalina). They billed and collected deposits from people that they knowingly could not perform. Unfortunately this wasn't the first time the ownership did this and it has the State's attorney considering piecing the corporate veil and going after ownership with fraud charges. If successful it would be a game changer to help prevent people from doing this over and over again.

[Anonymous]

They just filed the bankruptcy. Using the following attorney.

Kevin K. Shipe
Law Offices of Shipe & Bush, P.C.
3528 Worthington Blvd #101
Frederick, MD 21704

I have not had a chance to read any of it yet. I am not a lawyer. However, it is my opinion that we should be careful what we write here. I can tell you that you should assume that what is being said here is being read by Omar and his attorneys. The bankruptcy process will provide opportunities to raise questions and concerns. It is my opinion that it only benefits Omar and his attorneys to hear the things we feel he has done or what we know and have evidence of what he has done. It it best that this information be presented to the right people at the right time and let them pursue Omar for answers. No need to let him prepare ahead. It is great that this forum has brought us together. Let this forum benefit us and not Omar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the person who asked why would you pay all of that money upfront. I will answer because we were so naive and just plain dumb.

NP. I am so sorry this happened to you (and everyone else in this thread)! I can’t imagine what you all are going through! I think when you are an honest person you tend to think the best of others.

[Anonymous]

Important date and time for your calendars: 03/28/2023 at 09:30 AM
The is date and time for the 341 meeting.
https://www.canb.uscourts.gov/faq/general-bankruptcy/what-341a-meeting-creditors#:~:text=Answer%3A,the%20filing%20of%20the%20petition.

[Anonymous]

So many questions..... Better bring donuts to that 341

[Anonymous]

if you are reading this and have been affected by Omar and Optimum Construction, please try your best to attend. The more people attend, the more information can be hopefully uncovered.

[Anonymous]

ok, lets run a test. Omar, suggest you correct the error in the RESOLUTION OF THE SHAREHOLDERS OF OPTIMUM CONSTRUCTION, INC. CONSENTING TO FILING A VOLUNTARY CASE UNDER CHAPTER 7 filed in your Bankruptcy.

[Anonymous]

Lol this is all a messed up joke of a stupid system. Anyone noticed amir aka omar listed himself as a debtor for $45,000? Or how a construction company of almost 20 years had no construction vehicles listed in assets? Just 3 crappy bmws but again nothing to see here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol this is all a messed up joke of a stupid system. Anyone noticed amir aka omar listed himself as a debtor for $45,000? Or how a construction company of almost 20 years had no construction vehicles listed in assets? Just 3 crappy bmws but again nothing to see here!

Yup, issues throughout his filing. Save them for the 341 meeting where the trustee is required to take them and get answers. Pointing them out here just gives him time to create answers. The post above was just an example of how poorly he prepared documents - I am sure he will blame the attorney but he signed the document.

[Anonymous]

Omar Elrahimy filed his personal bankruptcy today. Pretty much had to file personal bankruptcy due to some of the personal guarantees he made with the business, the lawsuits and all closing in on him. He still has a long way to go as now he can't hide. Filing paper work does not wipe it all clear. Trustee is in control now and they get to hear from us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omar Elrahimy filed his personal bankruptcy today. Pretty much had to file personal bankruptcy due to some of the personal guarantees he made with the business, the lawsuits and all closing in on him. He still has a long way to go as now he can't hide. Filing paper work does not wipe it all clear. Trustee is in control now and they get to hear from us.

Everyone involved needs to track both bankruptcies as most of the creditors listed in the Optimum Construction bankruptcy are listed in Omar's personal bankruptcy. The 341 meeting for Omar's personal bankruptcy is on March 29 at 10am. Omar is using the same lawyer. There are two trustees, one for each bankruptcy. I hope this is good, two trustees looking into many of the same issues should help uncover more.