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Who is Jay Zaabri?
Jaser “Jay” Zaabri’s public biography tells a compelling story of business acumen and strategic growth in the storm restoration industry. His website describes him as the founder and CEO of Evolve Holdings, the parent entity for Evolve Construction & Restoration. It also lists Zaabri as the former COO of Clean Initiative, and affiliations with other contracting firms, including CalMaster Restoration, Master Plumber, WD Contractor Services, and Rapid Restoration. [1]
It’s an impressive profile of an entrepreneur. But it is not the whole story.
Public court records, regulator actions, consumer complaints, news reports, and even a criminal case show a pattern of allegations against Zaabri, Evolve, and associated companies and people – most notably, a public adjuster named Aleksandr Guldshtadt. These records include repeated accusations of delayed repairs, disputed cancellation fees, and undisclosed conflicts of interest. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The pattern matters more than any single case. Many of the records are still allegations, and they should be treated that way. But they keep returning to the same basic question: were homeowners dealing with separate companies, or with a connected network?
The clearest pattern: contractor and public adjuster lines became blurred
In many states, public adjusters and contractors are supposed to stay separate. The reason is simple. A public adjuster helps the homeowner negotiate a fair insurance payout. A contractor does the repair work. If the same person or firm gets paid to do both, it can create a conflict of interest that incentivizes inflated claims and insurance fraud.
That type of alleged conflict appears multiple times in records connected to Evolve and Nationwide Insurance Claims Advocates (NICA), a company regulators linked to Aleksandr Guldshtadt.
In Texas, a homeowner named Bosko Katic sued Evolve, NICA, and Jay Zaabri. The petition accused an Evolve sales rep of selling a roof-repair to Katic, and then signing him up for public adjusting services on behalf of NICA. The petition claimed that Evolve and NICA operated from the same Dallas address, were commonly owned, and did not disclose that connection. [6]
According to Katic, he signed the contract, and a year went by with no work started. He also alleged that two-party insurance checks were cashed without his signature. To be clear, those are allegations in a civil lawsuit, not findings after trial. But Michigan regulators described a similar problem. [6] [3]
In November 2025, the Michigan Department of Insurance suspended Aleksandr “Alex Gold” Guldshtadt’s public adjuster license. The order connected Guldshtadt to NICA, citing registered agent and corporate role records. Officials confirmed that 12 consumers entered public-adjusting contracts with NICA after speaking with reps who claimed to work with Evolve. They also cited concerns about checks cashed without homeowner endorsement, much like the Texas case. [3] [6]
California records link Evolve, NICA, WD, and CalMaster
The pattern continued in California, where an investigation by the Department of Insurance linked NICA, Guldshtadt, Evolve, WD Contractor Services, CalMaster Restoration, and Master Plumber. These names matter because several of them also appear in Zaabri’s own business biography. [1] [4]
Officials accused the companies of being connected through shared addresses, licenses, officer roles, and financial interests. The accusation said NICA recommended contracting services from WD, CalMaster, and/or Evolve to its clients. Officials also alleged that NICA and/or Guldshtadt had a financial interest in those contractor entities, which the Department said violated California public-adjuster rules. [4]
Those California allegations were later resolved through a stipulated order. Guldshtadt denied the allegations, but agreed to surrender his California insurance license and licensing rights, pay a $10,000 fine jointly with NICA, and stay out of the insurance business for 10 years. [5] [17]
A separate California class-action complaint after the Eaton Fire also named NICA and Evolve Construction as defendants, along with ClearAir Environmental Testing and Guldshtadt. The complaint alleged that class members signed paired agreements: one with Evolve for smoke/fire repair and remediation, and one with NICA for public-adjusting services. [7]
Homeowners said money moved, but work did not
The records also show a recurring homeowner complaint: storm damage occurred, an agreement was signed, insurance money was involved, and then the repair work was delayed or disputed.
In Michigan, regulators described complaints where NICA allegedly retained insurance proceeds even when work was not completed. The order said NICA negotiated many checks without the insureds’ endorsements, even though the checks were made payable to NICA, the insured, and the insured’s spouse. [3]
News reports describe similar frustrations in other states. WINK News reported that Florida homeowners said Evolve took nearly $80,000 in deposits for Hurricane Ian-related siding work but did not complete the work, and that the Florida Attorney General’s Office had received 66 consumer complaints about Evolve. [8]
In Oklahoma, KFOR interviewed homeowners who said Evolve had not started roof work. Evolve responded that deductible-payment issues were part of that dispute. [9]
In Tennessee, Clarksville Now spoke with a veteran who said Evolve received insurance funds but had not begun work more than a year later. Evolve disputed parts of the account and pointed to project-scope issues, a bankruptcy-related pause, and deductible issues. [10]
Evolve has publicly pushed back against the idea that complaints prove wrongdoing. On its own “Trust & Transparency Center,” the company says many disputes come from insurance misunderstandings, cancellation timing, project delays, mortgage-company hold-and-release procedures, permit delays, and confusion between contractor and public adjuster roles. Evolve says it is a contractor, not a public adjuster, and that any public adjuster works under a separate agreement with the homeowner. [11]
Cancellation fees and liens became pressure points
Another repeated theme is what happened when customers tried to get out of contracts. Evolve says its contracts include a free cancellation window– usually 3 business days and up to 10, depending on state law. After that window, Evolve says pre-agreed fees may apply. Its website describes a Stage 1 pre-approval amount of $10,000 and a Stage 2 percentage-based amount tied to the total replacement-cost value of the insurance claim. [11]
Homeowners and regulators described the same issue differently. Michigan regulators said Evolve charged excessive cancellation fees when customers used different contractors, even when Evolve and Guldshtadt performed no work. In one example, Evolve allegedly took a cancellation fee of $5,567.88, or 35% of the entire claim. [3]
Court records from Florida reiterated those concerns. In a Sarasota County case, homeowners challenged Evolve’s contract and cancellation fee. Evolve denied wrongdoing and counterclaimed, arguing the homeowners failed to cooperate and failed to pay after receiving insurance money. [12]
The final piece: accusations of fraud in Minnesota
Zaabri’s biography says he was COO of the contracting firm Clean Initiative LLC in 2022. That same year is central to a criminal case involving storm-damage inspections. [1]
Zaabri was charged with first-degree property damage and 5 counts of insurance fraud in Minnesota, all alleged to have happened in 2022. Prosecutors accused him of intentionally damaging homes while inspecting storm claims. The case did not end with an insurance-fraud conviction, however. [16] [13]
In 2025, Zaabri pleaded guilty to one gross-misdemeanor count of third-degree damage to property, while the insurance-fraud counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The amended sentencing order shows the outcome: probation, community work service, fines and fees, restitution-related terms, and a restriction barring Zaabri from construction or insurance-related work in Minnesota during probation. [14] [15]
What the pattern shows
The public record does not prove every allegation. Some lawsuits remain disputed. Some complaints are consumer reports, not court findings. Some records show Evolve defending itself and giving business explanations for delays, deductibles, cancellations, and public-adjuster referrals. [11] [12]
But the pattern is still hard to ignore. The same kinds of facts appear across different states and different records: storm-damage work, insurance claims, Evolve contracts, NICA public-adjuster agreements, connected addresses or company roles, delayed work, disputed checks, cancellation fees, and confusion about who was responsible. [3] [4] [6] [7]
That is the missing chapter in Zaabri’s polished biography. His website presents the companies as a growth story. The public records show that many of those company names also appear in significant allegations brought by homeowners and regulators.
For homeowners, the lesson is simple. Before signing after a storm, ask direct questions. Who is the contractor? Who is the public adjuster? Are they connected? Who controls the insurance check? What happens if work does not start? What happens if you cancel?
Those questions matter most when people are vulnerable and need help quickly. That is when a clean sales pitch can be easiest to believe and hardest to unwind.
Note: This article is based on publicly available court filings, regulatory actions, news reports, and company statements available at the time of publication. Many allegations described herein remain disputed and have not been adjudicated in court. References to lawsuits, complaints, investigations, or regulatory actions are included for informational and journalistic purposes and should not be interpreted as findings of liability unless specifically stated.
References
[1]: https://jayzaabri.com/ "JayZaabri.com, ‘Jaser “Jay” Zaabri’ public biography"
[2]:https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/sherman-oaks/profile/residential-roofing/evolve-construction-restoration-1216-1000012107/complaints?page=1 "Better Business Bureau, Evolve Construction & Restoration complaints page"
[3]:https://www.michigan.gov/difs/-/media/Project/Websites/difs/DO/2025/November/Aleksandr_Guldshtadt_25-18350.pdf "Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, Order for Summary Suspension of Insurance Adjuster License, Aleksandr Guldshtadt, Enforcement Case No. 25-18350, Nov. 3, 2025"
[4]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fYHXfazZ3FhHojn1UG-DFAAFjhxyP0aA/view?usp=sharing "California Department of Insurance accusation involving NICA, Guldshtadt, Evolve, WD Contractor Services, CalMaster, and Master Plumber"
[5]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NyIasrhIjEPRE3TJxBypEXJbJA42Uc-Y/view?usp=sharing "California Department of Insurance stipulated order involving Nationwide Insurance Claim Advocates."
[6]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cs8xIspBd1nPCqz0deCW0Ay317lojrkv/view?usp=drive_link "Bosko Katic v. Evolve Construction, LLC, Nationwide Insurance Claims Advocates, and Jay Zaabri, Plaintiff’s Original Petition, Dallas County, Texas, Cause No. CC-24-01797-C, Mar. 1, 2024"
[7]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FJL9Bu51T82qgd4HrzgQhrBp2fwSkyWV/view?usp=sharing "Nadine Isenberg v. Nationwide Insurance Claim Advocates Inc., Evolve Construction & Restoration, ClearAir Environmental Testing LLC, and Aleksandr Guldshtadt, proposed class-action complaint, Los Angeles County Superior Court"
[8]:https://www.winknews.com/news/wink_listens/evolve-construction-faces-66-complaints-over-unfinished-work/article_ed864b16-2424-49c5-b5e5-1ca4b6f10f72.html "WINK News, ‘Evolve Construction faces 66 complaints over unfinished work,’ May 7–8, 2026"
[9]:https://kfor.com/news/local/roofing-company-speaks-out-after-being-accused-of-not-starting-work/ "KFOR, ‘Roofing company speaks out after being accused of not starting work,’ Aug. 27, 2025"
[10]:https://clarksvillenow.com/local/clarksville-veteran-ghosted-by-repair-contractor-who-has-similar-complaints-in-5-other-states/ "Clarksville Now, ‘Clarksville veteran ghosted by repair contractor who has similar complaints in 5 other states,’ Mar. 5, 2026"
[11]: https://evolveconstruction.com/trust/ "Evolve Construction & Restoration, ‘Trust & Transparency Center’"
[12]:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yq8pP-LEJ6KOov0dgxPQ0Ywqn9f71BM_/view?usp=sharing "Pasawicz/Rothenberger v. Evolve Construction, LLC, Sarasota County, Florida pleadings and counterclaim"
[13]: https://www.fox9.com/news/hail-insurance-payout-scheme-minnesota-charges "FOX 9, ‘Hail insurance payout scheme: Minnesota charges,’ Aug. 28, 2024"
[14]:https://www.fox9.com/news/contractor-pleads-guilty-to-intentional-property-damage-as-part-of-hail-insurance-claim "FOX 9, ‘Contractor pleads guilty to intentional property damage as part of hail insurance claim,’ Sept. 5, 2025"
[15]:https://drive.google.com/file/d/188CooOG3M1kkQi7WNd9Ok-bg388YaRl_/view?usp=sharing "State of Minnesota v. Jaser Munir Zaabri, Hennepin County District Court, amended sentencing order and related filings, Court File No. 27-CR-24-19665”
[16]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11qKGHug2CuX8cV91PT_d9dJqiDSlh3Qe/view?usp=sharing "State of Minnesota v. Jaser Munir Zaabri, Hennepin County District Court, summons and complaint, Court File No. 27-CR-24-19665”
[17]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17Ki5iJT6SfG7ISOirdzpovLH59oiBlsX/view?usp=sharing "California Department of Insurance stipulated order involving Guldshtadt."
