无证建筑商Steve Preston在澳大利亚多个州长期从事非法建筑业务并欺诈消费者，其违规历史跨越数十年。[1]Preston曾使用Steve Brown、Steve Fowler和Gordon Fowler等别名进行非法活动。[1]2007年西澳最高法院曾永久禁止其以注册建筑商身份代理。[1]
Preston的违法记录触目惊心。[1]2009年他因19项无证建筑工作指控被罚款超过60,000澳元。[1]2014年昆州建筑与建筑委员会曾发布公开警告。[1]此外，Preston因非法超级年金计划被澳大利亚证券投资委员会禁止从事金融咨询。[1]他已宣布破产三次，分别在1994年、1999年和2006年。[1]
尽管违规记录众多，Preston仍在新南威尔士州北部继续从事建筑业务。[1]2021年客户Chris Blewitt向Preston支付63,000澳元用于两个棚屋和甲板项目，但工程未完成。[1]2024年另一客户Leigh Peters支付78,000澳元用于两栋小型住宅建设，后经法律程序获得66,000澳元退款令，但仍欠30,000澳元。[1]2022年Preston还因违反《住宅建筑法》被罚3,000澳元。[1]
Steve Preston, an unlicensed builder with a documented history of consumer deception across multiple Australian states, has resumed illegal construction work in northern New South Wales despite previous enforcement actions and financial penalties.[1] Operating under aliases including Steve Brown, Steve Fowler, and Gordon Fowler, Preston has accumulated a lengthy record of violations spanning decades, including three separate bankruptcy declarations in 1994, 1999, and 2006.[1]
Preston's regulatory troubles extend across Western Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. In 2007, the Western Australian Supreme Court permanently banned him from acting as a licensed builder.[1] A 2009 prosecution resulted in fines exceeding $60,000 related to 19 counts of unlicensed building work,[1] while Queensland's Building and Construction Commission issued a public warning against him in 2014.[1] The Australian Securities and Investments Commission also barred him from providing financial advice following his involvement in an illegal superannuation scheme.[1] In 2022, he received a $3,000 penalty for breaching the Residential Building Act.[1]
Recent cases in Grafton demonstrate the pattern persists. In 2021, client Chris Blewitt paid Preston $63,000 for two sheds and a deck that were never completed.[1] Another customer, Leigh Peters, paid $78,000 in 2024 for two small residential units; while a court ordered a $66,000 refund, Peters remains owed approximately $30,000.[1]