RACINE COUNTY, Wis. — A Racine woman who customers say took thousands from them, while running an illegitimate HVAC business, is now criminally charged.
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Amanda Putzer-Gonzales, owner of T & A Heating and Cooling, is charged with five felony counts and two misdemeanor counts of theft by contractor.
This comes weeks after TMJ4's Chief Investigative Reporter Jenna Rae spent months exposing Putzer-Gonzales and her business practices.
TMJ4 started investigating T & A Heating and Cooling because viewers contacted us. Several customers of the company said they paid thousands of dollars for heating and cooling systems, but never received them.
We talked with customers Noel Veltri, Winston Bohorquez, Miranda Young and Jeff Beres. All of them paid T & A thousands for HVAC systems that were never installed.
"I paid you for a service that isn't happening," Bohorquez and Veltri said.
"How does that make you feel?" Rae asked.
"Saddened, saddened for sure. I just want to be able to do what I love doing, and it's just put a damper on everything," Veltri answered.
"It's not a small amount of money, it's a lot. It took me a while to save, so I can't, I just don't understand how she can be free and not in jail. Like, that's robbery, you robbed us," Young explained.
During our investigation, we learned Putzer-Gonzales has no valid HVAC or contractor's license in Wisconsin. She also doesn't have a business license with the state.
We tried contacting her several times, for months, and weren't able to get in direct contact with her.
Now, Putzer-Gonzales is facing criminal charges for the exact issues we reported on. She's charged with five felony counts and two misdemeanor counts of theft by contractor.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators in Racine, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia say between January and October 2025, Putzer-Gonzales took nearly $34,000 from customers, never completed the work, and then ghosted them.
In situations like this, it's really hard for customers to get their money back. Some, we know, have tried doing so in small claims court, but haven't been successful.
For tips on what to do if you find yourself in this situation, click here. You can also click here, for ways to protect yourself before hiring a contractor.
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