PhoenixMart plagued with continued Lawsuits one month after FBI investigation ends
CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA — Harder Mechanical Contractors filed documents on June 14th in Pinal County Superior Court seeking $118,516 in unpaid labor and materials it provided for the PhoenixMart in Casa Grande.
The company filed a lien in January for the unpaid plumbing services it provided and proceeded to take legal action in court this month.
Hardrock Concrete Placement Co. filed a similar complaint in court earlier this year, seeking to be paid for over $900,000 in services it supplied to PhoenixMart.
A third company, Calportland, filed papers in court on June 8 demanding it be reimbursed $16,715 for services it has provided to PhoenixMart. The company filed a lien in December against PhoenixMart and Hardrock, since Calportland contracted with the latter company.
The project, that bills itself as a one-of-a-kind wholesale distribution center, has been in development for several years near Florence Boulevard and Signal Peak Road and plans to refurbish the old outlet center near Interstate 10 and Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.
After being subject to an FBI investigation in 2015, the company overseeing the PhoenixMart project announced last month it was no longer under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The developers were funding the project with money from foreign investors taking part in the government’s EB5 Visa program. Under EB5 guidelines, foreign nationals can invest $500-thousand in a program that creates a certain number of jobs in the US, in exchange for up to 10 “green cards.”
On May 11, 2018 the Company put out the following written statement – “Today, the Company was officially informed that PhoenixMart is not the target or subject of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. This announcement will pave the way for the company to focus on securing the financing required to accelerate construction. Our resolve is stronger than ever, and we are committed to completing this groundbreaking project as soon as possible.The company thanks the City of Casa Grande, Pinal County, our vendors and subcontractors for their continued support and patience over the past 30 months.”
The future remains a mystery for PhoenixMart, with work halted and no more recent statements from the company.