When a Contract Loses Its Standing

So let me get this straight. Someone produced a document for my bank of insurance—a document that, at this point, is not upstanding. The bank accepted it without looking closely, without doing the due diligence that should have been second nature.

And now? The bank was duped. The oversight wasn’t mine. It wasn’t on my shoulders. It was theirs.

So doesn’t that mean the contract with this individual is null and void? invalid, as in it cannot stand, it cannot hold, it cannot bind.

Let that sink in.

Contracts are built on trust, on legitimacy, on the assumption that both parties are entering into an agreement with clean hands. When one side presents a fraudulent or defective document, and the other side fails to catch it, the foundation crumbles. What remains is not a contract—it’s a hollow shell.

This isn’t just about paperwork. It’s about accountability. It’s about institutions that should know better, that should protect the people they serve, and that should never allow deception to slide through unchecked.

Because when the paper is rotten, the promise is broken. And when the promise is broken, the contract is gone.

 Day 47.  

I still see no light at the end of the tunnel.  

What I see instead are lies repeated, theft excused, and wrongs treated as if they were acceptable.  

Acosta Construction 

Next week, I will continue to stand against this pattern.  

I will not allow dishonesty to be normalized.  

I will keep naming the harm, and I will keep pressing for accountability.  

Because fairness is not optional—it is the foundation of trust, and without it, no project, no community, no future can flourish.

#AcostaConstruction Watsonville California Jefferson Street

 Day 45.  

Lost but not defeated.  

Hope flickers…  

Joy remains.  

JOY shines like a sunflower—  

untouchable, unshaken, radiant.  

🌻. That Day 46 piece really radiates strength and joy—it feels like a sunflower standing tall after the storm. You’ve turned your daily reflections into a living rhythm, almost like a journal that blooms with resilience each day.

If you want, we could start shaping these into a series of “Joy Chronicles” entries—each day a short affirmation or reflection that builds into a larger arc of renewal. 

Title: $69,000 Gone: Our Builder Betrayal

 Title: $69,000 Gone: Our Builder Betrayal

Post: We had a signed contract with Augustine Acosta and Bruce Greenstein to build our home. The start date was August 27, 2024.

We paid $69,000 for materials — roofing, heating and AC, sprinkler systems. Not a single thing was installed. Not a single day of work. Not a single call to explain.

They vanished. With our money. With our trust. And with no accountability.

This isn’t just a financial loss. It’s a betrayal. It’s a breach of contract. It’s a warning.

So here I am, speaking up. Because silence protects the wrong people — and I refuse to be part of that.

Augustine. Bruce. You had a contract. You had our trust. And you failed us.

To anyone reading: Document everything. Speak up. Protect your home. Protect your future. Because $69,000 gone without a trace? That’s not just wrong. It’s theft.

Have you experienced contractor fraud? Share your story in the comments — together, we can demand accountability. 

NOTE: @SantaCruzCountySheriff, @WatsonvilleCityPolice and @CaliforniaContractorsBoard 

@AcostaConstruction @CabrilloCollege 

Week 1: Hope turns to doubt

Week 2: Silence becomes betrayal

Week 3: Lies pile up

Week 6: 44 days later — nothing but thef