Contractor Charged With Felony Theft by Swindle in Hennepin County
HENNEPIN COUNTY: A general contractor is facing three felony theft-by-swindle charges in Hennepin County after prosecutors allege he accepted more than $10,000 from homeowners for renovation work, failed to complete portions of the project and used customer payments for personal day-to-day expenses.
Brian John Kalenberg, 37, is charged with three counts of felony theft by swindle in connection with work at a home in Independence, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court.
The allegations stem from a May 14 report to the West Hennepin Public Safety Department. According to the complaint, the homeowners told officers they had paid Kalenberg a total of $10,200 while he was working as their general contractor.
The complaint alleges the homeowners paid $4,000 for the installation of egress windows in the lower level of their home and another $6,200 for structural drawings beginning in the fall of 2025.
More than six months later, the homeowners alleged the work had not been completed and eventually canceled their contract with Kalenberg.
According to the probable cause statement, masonry work associated with the egress windows had been completed by a subcontractor, but the windows themselves were allegedly never installed.
The homeowners also told police that a separate subcontractor, identified in the complaint as AST Engineering, had completed structural drawings for the project. However, the homeowners allegedly could not obtain the final drawings because the engineering company had not been paid.
When contacted by an investigator, Kalenberg allegedly said he had used the $6,200 provided for the structural drawings to purchase specialty lumber and other supplies for the homeowners' project. He also allegedly told the investigator that he stopped working on the property after the homeowners terminated their contract.
According to the complaint, Kalenberg told the investigator that he used his personal bank account as his business bank account.
Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant for Kalenberg's bank records. Prosecutors allege a review of those records showed no purchases of specialty lumber or other relevant supplies before the contract was canceled.
Instead, according to the complaint, the bank records allegedly showed Kalenberg repeatedly used payments from the homeowners to cover his day-to-day expenses.
Kalenberg is charged with two felony counts of theft by swindle involving property or services valued at more than $5,000 and a third felony theft-by-swindle count involving a value between $1,000 and $5,000.
The two more serious counts each carry a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. The third count carries a maximum potential sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.
The charges are allegations. Kalenberg is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.