Charges dropped against contractor accused of stealing $130,000 from a Houston woman

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A contractor accused of bilking customers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars is again off the hook.

After years of waiting to go to trial, the case against contractor Salim Zantout was just dismissed this on Wednesday by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Court records show that over the past 30 years, Zanhout has been sued several times in civil court and has a criminal record. But he's always managed to still work as a contractor.

Then in 2023, he was charged with theft of over $150,000 to $300,000. ABC13 covered that case. And at the time, Lorena Reyes was hopeful she would get justice.

"I was ready to go to court," she told us from her sparse apartment. Reyes now spends a lot of time on the computer sharing her latest findings of Zantout on a dedicated Facebook page. She started the page after she says Zantout pretended to date her and then convinced her to spend her life savings.

"The amount of money he took from me, was $136,000, which included a small yacht that he convinced me to buy," she said.

Reyes says Zanhout also convinced her to buy a piece of land so he can build townhomes on it. Nothing was ever built, and Reyes had to sell both the boat and the land at a loss.

In 2023, Reyes' case and the case of several other victims resulted in a felony theft charge against Zantout. But on Wednesday, the DA's office dismissed the case, saying in court documents there was "probable cause but they could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt."

"I never did believe we were going to succeed in this," 93-year-old Ocy Jones, another victim we interviewed two years ago, said. "It's been a losing battle beginning with the first lawyer that I hired."

Jones says he paid Zantout several thousand dollars to lift up his foundation. He says even though Zantout's workers dug several holes under his home, to this day, the foundation remains unlifted.

Jones first sued Zantout in civil court to no avail, and then his case was added on to the criminal charge.

ABC13 went looking for Zantout in his Old Braeswood-area home. The large modern home had several workers in front, who told Zantout wasn't home. ABC13 also contacted his lawyer, who had not returned our calls as of Thursday evening

"He's not afraid of the consequences anymore," Jones, who is not expecting any restitution, said.

"He will never, ever pay anyone back. But at least we deserve justice," Reyes, who vows to warn others by keeping the Facebook page alive, said hoping to collect more evidence so the district attorney's office may refile the case.

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