March 26, 2024

YAKIMA, Wash. — A Yakima-based contractor was arrested last week during a sting operation for allegedly scamming thousands of dollars from residents across Washington.

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s roster shows Antonio “Tony” Gonzalez, 39, was booked into jail on multiple charges Friday morning.

ORIGINAL STORY: Yakima scammer posed as legitimate contractor, defrauded victims across Washington state

Chris Whitsett, an inspector with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, said the arrest happened due to community efforts.

“It was a team effort involving citizens, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the press, based on or with the assistance of the additional investigative information that we were able to gather here in Kittitas County. With that additional information, we provided that back to the Yakima County prosecutor’s office and they were able to issue a warrant for Mr. Gonzalez,” Whitsett said. “That was for multiple charges of first-degree theft, criminal impersonation, second-degree theft, and attempted first and second-degree theft.”

Jim Palzer with the Mineral Springs Resort in Cle Elum was a key part of the operation leading to Gonzalez’s arrest.

Palzer had originally reached out to Gonzalez in January for help renovating a restaurant after seeing his ad on Craigslist.

They began messaging back…

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