The Adams County Justice Center houses the county courthouse for Adams County in Brighton, Colorado. (Katie Wood, The Denver Post)
A general contractor in Thornton has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution after he admitted taking victims’ money and not doing the work.
Theodore Welker Jr., a 51-year-old who goes by TJ, owned and operated Braveheart Construction in Thornton before he was charged in Adams County last May with three counts of felony theft, one count of misdemeanor theft and one count of unlicensed plumbing.
Welker pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and the other four charges were dropped as part of a plea deal he made with prosecutors. In a sentencing order April 10, Judge Jeffrey Smith ordered Welker to pay $14,400 in restitution and $2,700 in court costs.
According to his May 2021 indictment, Welker took more than $5,000 from an Erie couple in 2019, more than $2,000 from a woman in Broomfield and a similar amount from a man in Highlands Ranch. He also refused to pay two Northglenn subcontractors.
Complaints about Welker were first reported by Denver7, a partner of BusinessDen, in 2020. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said that reporting led to the charges.
“Financial crimes such as this are damaging and deeply personal to victims,” Brian Mason, the district attorney for Adams and Broomfield counties, wrote in a statement. “Our financial crimes unit is dedicated to fighting these offenses and making victims whole.”
Theodore Welker Jr., 51, is an inmate at the Delta Correctional Center. (Adams County Sheriff’s Office)
Welker has a criminal history and is behind bars at the Delta Correctional Center on the Western Slope, court records show. He will be eligible for parole next March.
Last April, Welker was tried and convicted of driving under the influence with three or more prior convictions and sentenced to four years in prison. He is appealing that conviction.
In 2015, he was charged with felony theft and misdemeanor theft, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement, and was sentenced to probation. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to felony menacing and served two months in jail, records show.
In addition to criminal charges, Welker and Braveheart have also been sued several times. In 2014, an alpaca breeder accused Welker of taking her $40,000 down payment for a barn and never completing the construction, leading to alpaca deaths. She won a $100,000 judgment against Welker but that was put on hold after he filed for personal bankruptcy.
In fall 2020, Welker and Braveheart Construction were sued by a construction supply company, which won a $9,900 court judgment against them. Welker also owes about $4,900 to the state in back taxes, according to court records from a 2021 case.
Attorneys for Welker did not respond to requests for comment about his theft case.
The Adams County Justice Center houses the county courthouse for Adams County in Brighton, Colorado. (Katie Wood, The Denver Post)
A general contractor in Thornton has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution after he admitted taking victims’ money and not doing the work.
Theodore Welker Jr., a 51-year-old who goes by TJ, owned and operated Braveheart Construction in Thornton before he was charged in Adams County last May with three counts of felony theft, one count of misdemeanor theft and one count of unlicensed plumbing.
Welker pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and the other four charges were dropped as part of a plea deal he made with prosecutors. In a sentencing order April 10, Judge Jeffrey Smith ordered Welker to pay $14,400 in restitution and $2,700 in court costs.
According to his May 2021 indictment, Welker took more than $5,000 from an Erie couple in 2019, more than $2,000 from a woman in Broomfield and a similar amount from a man in Highlands Ranch. He also refused to pay two Northglenn subcontractors.
Complaints about Welker were first reported by Denver7, a partner of BusinessDen, in 2020. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said that reporting led to the charges.
“Financial crimes such as this are damaging and deeply personal to victims,” Brian Mason, the district attorney for Adams and Broomfield counties, wrote in a statement. “Our financial crimes unit is dedicated to fighting these offenses and making victims whole.”
Theodore Welker Jr., 51, is an inmate at the Delta Correctional Center. (Adams County Sheriff’s Office)
Welker has a criminal history and is behind bars at the Delta Correctional Center on the Western Slope, court records show. He will be eligible for parole next March.
Last April, Welker was tried and convicted of driving under the influence with three or more prior convictions and sentenced to four years in prison. He is appealing that conviction.
In 2015, he was charged with felony theft and misdemeanor theft, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement, and was sentenced to probation. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to felony menacing and served two months in jail, records show.
In addition to criminal charges, Welker and Braveheart have also been sued several times. In 2014, an alpaca breeder accused Welker of taking her $40,000 down payment for a barn and never completing the construction, leading to alpaca deaths. She won a $100,000 judgment against Welker but that was put on hold after he filed for personal bankruptcy.
In fall 2020, Welker and Braveheart Construction were sued by a construction supply company, which won a $9,900 court judgment against them. Welker also owes about $4,900 to the state in back taxes, according to court records from a 2021 case.
Attorneys for Welker did not respond to requests for comment about his theft case.
