Cabinet maker gets 2-year sentence

SAN DIEGO - The former owner of a Miramar-area cabinet company was ordered Thursday to spend two years in custody for taking more than $150,000 from 16 victims for remodeling jobs that he never did.

Felix "Eddie" Brown, 54, pleaded guilty last October to diversion of construction funds and grand theft.

As part of his plea agreement, Brown -- who owned Bardon Cabinetry -- will be allowed to serve his custody in the county jail instead of state prison.

According to prosecutors, Brown took thousands of dollars from his victims in May 2011 for kitchen and bathroom remodeling jobs, then suddenly closed his business and left town without doing the work.

Melissa Jeffers said she was "stunned" by the turn of events. She said she had done a lot of research on kitchen remodeling companies before settling on Brown's outfit.

"We were kind of pressured by a couple of his employees -- if you don't write the check, we can't order the wood -- so we wrote the check for $14,100, and that was on a Saturday," Jeffers said. "The check was deposited on Saturday and cleared the bank on Monday, and Tuesday they closed their doors for good."

Jeffers said she never signed a contract because she was going to come back to the showroom on Tuesday and make her final selections for the remodel.

"I just think he's a complete crook," she said. "I don't know if we will ever recover the money."

Frank Melbourn, who lost $14,000 to Brown, said the defendant got what he deserved.

"I'm satisfied that I think justice has been served," he said. "All along, me and the rest of the victims felt like a crime had occurred, and we desperately were trying to get the right people involved so that we could get this thing addressed."

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Cabinet maker gets 2-year sentence