Constance and William Gabriel were arrested in Maricopa and accused of contracting crimes in California. PCSO photos

A California contractor and her husband were arrested in Maricopa this month and now face at least 79 charges, including 33 felonies.

Constance Ruth Gabriel, 51, and William Ernest Gabriel, 65, were taken into custody Aug. 9 by Pinal County Sheriff’s Office on fugitive warrants after an investigation by the Contractors State License Board in Santa Clara County. They are charged with grand theft and elder abuse, among other accusations. Their bail was set at more than $580,000.

The Gabriels were returned to California today and are due to be arraigned Friday in San Jose.

“The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office will always support any agency that needs help getting criminals off the streets,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb. “Our deputies worked hard to track down and arrest Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel and are thankful we’re able to bring justice to their victims.”

The Gabriels are accused of stealing more than $855,000 from at least 33 victimes in a scheme to construct sunrooms. According th CSLB, in many cases they collected illegally large down payments and then either never did any work or did very little work before abandoning the jobs.

They operated Sunrooms America, Inc., Sunrooms America Direct and Gabriel Construction Company. Earlier this year, CSLB revoked the three company licenses.

“Contractors should never think that leaving California frees them from facing the consequences of their law-breaking actions here,” said CSLB Registrar David R. Fogt. “Our law enforcement partners in Santa Clara County and Pinal County, Arizona, share CSLB’s commitment to consumer protection and worked closely with us to make this arrest.”

Charges include aggravated white collar enhancements because the two allegedly took more than $500,000 from victims and damaged or destroyed property with a value exceeding $200,000.