Crime & Safety
Unlicensed Contractor With Priors Pleads No Contest to Felony Theft for Failing to Complete Millbrae Job
Finn Olsen had three prior felony convictions for the same crime. His sentence calls for 364 days in jail and three years of supervised probation, but he avoids prison under terms of a deal with prosecutors.
An unlicensed contractor with a criminal past pleaded no contest on Tuesday in San Mateo Superior Court to felony theft for failing to complete a project a Millbrae woman put a $20,000 deposit on.
Finn Olsen, 57, who has three prior felony convictions for theft and diversion of funds and two for contracting without a license, pleaded no contest to felony theft for diversion funds in a deal with prosecutors that spares him prison time.
Under terms of the deal, Olsen will serve 364 days in county jail and will be under three years of supervised probation.
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Olsen took the deposit from a Millbrae woman in 2005 that was to go towards a $31,179 job to build and install kitchen cabinets, prosecutors said.
He did a small portion of the work but abondoned the project within seven months, prosecutors said. After initially failing to respond to inquiries from the victim, Olsen eventually told the victim he was broke and couldn't complete the job.
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The victim paid a licensed contractor $19,000 to complete the project and correct Olsen's "shoddy" work, prosecutors said.
Olsen was also ordered to pay $17,643.97 in restitution to the victim plus about $300 to in court fines, most of which will go to a restitution fund, prosecutors said.
Olsen's attorney, Marcia Silver, declined to respond to a request from Patch to comment on this case.
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