COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A Colorado Springs Firefighter has been placed on administrative leave without pay today after he was charged with theft on July 13.
Jared Whiteman, Firefighter 1st class, was charged with theft, stemming from claims he stole nearly $200,000 from people that hired his side business to do construction work.
El Paso County Sherriff's Office had been investigating Fortified Solutions (FS), a contracting company run by Whiteman.
Fortified solutions came under investigation after Jon and Paula Jensen contacted the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and brought a contractor fraud complaint against FS Management.
The Jensens hired Fortified Solutions in the spring of 2020 to build them a home amounting to a payment of $177,744.75 for the completion of the project.
The Jensens brought the case forward as there was little work towards completion of the project, and later received liens placed against their property for the unpaid work and labor, despite having paid the contractor Fortified Solutions. Fortified Solutions specializes in "barn-style" structures for commercial and residential use.
It should be noted that the Jensens were not alone, according to Detective Marissa Williams who is assigned to the case explained.
Whiteman was hired by the Colorado Springs Fire Department on March 3, 2017.
This is an ongoing case and no other information was made available.
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