Tulare contractors suspected of defrauding Tubbs fire survivors allowed to remain out of jail

The owners of a Central Valley construction company accused of defrauding dozens of homeowners who hired them to rebuild houses destroyed in the Tubbs fire will be allowed to remain out of jail with a bail bond as their case continues at the Sonoma County Superior Court.

Judge Dana Simonds made the ruling Tuesday afternoon during a hearing at the courthouse, in which co-defendants and spouses Salavador and Pamela Chiaramonte appeared out of custody despite Simonds’ prior ruling they remain at the Sonoma County Jail until Tuesday’s hearing.

Simonds had decided Thursday to restrict the Chiaramontes’ releases from the facility, after the pair were each arraigned on 59 felony counts ranging from diversion of construction funds to grand theft of personal property. Simonds had said she wanted to ensure any money used to pay their respective $250,000 bails was legitimately earned.

But a snafu at the Sonoma County Jail led correctional staff to release the Chiaramontes, owners of Chiaramonte Construction & Plumbing in Tulare, on Thursday despite Simonds’ order. Their daughter, Amy Perry, who is also charged in the case, was allowed to be released on $50,000 bail prior to Tuesday’s hearing.

The hearing on Tuesday focused on money used to pay All-Pro Bail Bonds to bail the Chiaramontes out of jail. It included an $8,000 gift to each Chiaramonte from Craig Knight, the couple’s son-in-law who lives in their home and virtually testified during the hearing that he got the money from the sale of a house he used to own.

Simonds also reviewed the financial records of Anthony Chiaramonte, the couple’s son, and his wife, who put a lien on their home as collateral for the bond and who may be responsible for paying the remaining $19,000 owned to the bail bond company. Both Salvador and Pamela Chiaramonte are unemployed.

Simonds ultimately agreed there was enough evidence to show that the money used to cover the bail bond was legitimate, though she imposed conditions that the pair hand over their passports to the court, appear in person for all future court hearings and agree not to travel out of the state.

“My job here is to make sure that you show up for your court hearing and don’t skip town,” Simonds said, noting that the pair has no ties to Sonoma County.

Attorney Ken Rosenfeld, who represents the Chiaramontes, said he would make sure to update the court on where the couple was living and that he would agree to have his clients placed on ankle monitors should they fail to follow Simonds’ orders.

Richard Freeman, an attorney who represents people who are suing the Chiaramonte couple in a separate civil case, also attended Tuesday’s hearing. He said that he agreed with Simonds’ decision, though he said the circumstances surrounding the money gifted to the Chiaramontes by their son-in-law were still muddled.

He also said he would have liked to have heard more information about the property put up by the Chiaramontes’ son and his wife as collateral to the bond, particularly how much it was worth and how long they had owned it.

The Chiaramontes are due back in court on Oct. 9 in Department 1 for a plea hearing.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.