Attorney General Ellison bans fraudulent contractor from Minnesota construction industry for life, wins $1.1 million judgment

Ryan David Pietron and Affordable Home Remodeling scammed dozens of families out of their renovation money — then disappeared

Pietron now permanently locked out of the industry, on the hook for $1.1M in restitution to victims, penalties, and State’s costs

November 5, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced his office has secured a judgment against home renovation contractor Ryan David Pietron and his company, Affordable Home Remodeling, LLC, permanently banning both from the residential construction industry in Minnesota. The judgment orders Pietron and his company to pay $518,000 in restitution to their victims, $518,000 in civil penalties to the State of Minnesota, and $33,000 for the Attorney General’s costs and attorney’s fees.

“Pietron played fast and loose with people’s home renovation dreams and needs,” said Attorney General Ellison. “He counted on people giving up and moving on. Instead, Minnesotans reported this scheme to my office, and now he’s permanently out of this business and will pay for his fraud.”

“We couldn’t have done this without the Minnesotans who came forward to report this fraud,” Attorney General Ellison added. “So to anyone who’s been ripped off by a contractor: don’t stay quiet. Don’t count your losses and move on. That’s what the people who ripped you off want you to do. Instead, report it so my office and I will can keep stopping the people who try to run these fraudulent schemes and hold them accountable for the harm they do.”

Attorney General Ellison sued Pietron and his company in October 2025 for deceiving homeowners into hiring them for expensive home renovation projects, then collecting tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for work that never happened. Pietron — who was never licensed and was banned by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry from claiming to be a licensed contractor — told customers he was licensed anyway. To squeeze out more payments from homeowners, he issued fake progress updates, including in one case by forging a phony invoice from a real supplier claiming he had placed an order that never existed.

In the end, Pietron would perform token demolition work, or none at all, before disappearing with his customers’ money. Some victims managed to track him down and secure a promise of a refund — a promise he then broke. All told, Attorney General Ellison located dozens of Minnesota families who lost a total of $518,000 to this scheme.

In addition to Attorney General Ellison’s judgment, Pietron recently pleaded guilty to felony theft for some of the same conduct in a separate criminal case brought by the office of Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes.

Part of Attorney General Ellison’s broader crackdown on construction fraud

Pietron’s case was filed alongside a nearly identical scheme run by Earl Christian Rode, IV and his company, High Road Builders, LLC — part of a sweep of unlicensed, fraudulent contractors. In January 2026, Attorney General Ellison won a $2.6 million judgment against Rode, permanently banning him from the industry and ordering him to pay $1.3 million in restitution and $1.3 million in civil penalties.

Another fraudulent contractor who Attorney General Ellison put a stop to, Charles Ray Workman and his company MN Crete Pools, LLC, was sentenced earlier this month to five years in federal prison for his scheme.

Tips for homeowners

Attorney General Ellison encourages Minnesotans interested in doing a home renovation, remodeling, or construction project to check online for information about specific contractors and companies, get information from contractors in writing, and carefully review all documents before signing. For more information about selecting a contractor, tips on avoiding home improvement scams, and your rights when contracting for home improvement work, visit the Attorney General Ellison’s online guide to Home Building and Remodeling.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licenses residential building contractors in Minnesota. Not all “contractors” are required to have a state license. For example, most specialty contractors who provide only one specialty skill are not required to be licensed. The Department has a free contractor license look-up tool on its website that consumers should use to verify a contractor’s license.

Hiring a licensed contractor doesn’t guarantee something won’t go wrong, but it does provide safeguards if something does. For example, licensed contractors must have liability and property damage insurance. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Contractor Recovery Fund offers a safety net for consumers who win judgments against a licensed contractor for fraudulent or dishonest practices but cannot collect. Up to $75,000 of a judgment can be paid through the fund. Minnesotans planning a construction or renovation project can consult the Department’s Consumer’s Guide to Hiring a Residential Building Contractor before signing a contract.

Attorney General Ellison asks Minnesota consumers to report problems and concerns about a contractor by submitting a complaint online or by calling the Attorney General’s Office at (651) 296-3353 (Metro area), 1-800-657-3787 (Greater Minnesota), or 1-800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay).