Coloradans sound alarm on sauna builder who abandoned projects, the same person who owes millions after tiny home business failed

CBS News

5 days ago

A Colorado business owner promising to build backyard buildings like saunas and sheds suddenly stopped delivering. The sudden closure left some customers out thousands of dollars and others scrambling to complete or repair half-finished projects.
"We were excited we could get a sauna and be enjoying it in four days," Caitlin, a new mom in Englewood, said.
In southern Colorado, Robert, a disabled veteran, and his wife Krista wanted to help others.
"I can't do this stuff no more that's why we hired it out," Prothero said.
A rental owner, working on upgrades to a property in Broomfield, thought he'd found an expert.
"He alluded to the fact that he had many years of experience in construction," Reid said.
And in Woodland Park, Justine was looking for more space.
"I was looking to purchase two sheds and a little playhouse for my granddaughter," she said.
Those four people have never met but have a connection. They all paid up front for projects that were never completed, despite promises from the same man.
"When I was initially looking into him to hire him for the project he went by his first and middle name not his first and last name," Reid said.
"He was listed as Matthew Robert," Caitlin said.
Matthew Robert is also known as Matthew Robert Sowash.
The same Matthew Sowash who pleaded guilty to felony theft after he sold shares in an amateur poker tournament without a securities license. The same Matthew Sowash targeted in a murder-for-hire plot -- using rattlesnakes -- by one of the investors who allegedly lost money in that tournament.
In 2017, he told CBS Colorado the experience changed his life -- turning him to God and racing.
"I often tell people prison is the best thing that ever happened to me, and they think I'm crazy," he said at the time.
A few years after that interview, Sowash started Holy Ground tiny homes and by 2022 he was filing for bankruptcy. Court documents in the case show he owed roughly 200 customers nearly $6 million while also spending tens of thousands of dollars in Las Vegas and buying motorcycles and race cars.
No fraud was determined in that case, and Sowash was ordered to restructure the business in a way that he could pay back those customers. While not criminally charged, at least one judge found him guilty of civil theft, a decision he claims forced him to liquidate the company in 2024.
At that same time, he started a new company Better Sheds & Saunas. Now, less than a year later, those customers are in a similar position.
"We had a blanket email to all his customers to say 'Things have really been backed up and my customers might think this has to do with money and no it doesn't,'" Caitlin said.
That email was sent on April 18 and he assured his customers in it there were no money problems. But on April 25, another email went out, this time announcing the business would close due to "slumping sales, lack of skilled labor and refund requests by customers."
He went on to say he would be filing for bankruptcy, suggesting anyone who paid by credit card dispute the charges.
Robert and Krista Prothero used a debit card and are still waiting on a refund.
"Most everybody got credited back, most of them did from the credit card disputes. We didn't we are still in dispute with USAA about $5,000," Robert said.
They had hoped to open a respite retreat for Coloradans with disabilities and their caregivers. That dream is now delayed.
"It really broke my heart and kind of made me not want to do this anymore," Krista said.
Each of these former Sowash customers are sharing their experience as a cautionary tale to others.
"I hope someone can stop him because this has gone on for way too long," Prothero said.
In an email response to CBS Colorado's questions about customer concerns, Matthew Sowash says in part that he believed all of his sauna customers had been refunded, and that they had already returned a little more than $100,000 and added, "We did the right thing in taking care of the people who gave us money when we couldn't continue."
Several customers tried to file police reports and were told this is a civil matter. They have now filed complaints with the Colorado Attorney General's office.