Shelton home contractor accused of fraud

Shelton contractor Stephen Ates, who operated Family Class Homes, pleaded not guilty Nov. 28 in Mason County Superior Court to charges he stole almost 1 million dollars from clients who paid him to build their dream homes.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office charged Ates with nine counts of theft in the first degree and eight counts of filing a false tax return.

Ates ran his contracting business out of Tahuya from 2012 until 2021, when he declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to charging documents.

Family Class Homes specialized in “building dream homes for persons wanting to live in the...