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Unregistered Bayville Contractor Indicted February 20, 2012

Posted by jefhenninger in News.
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Unregistered Bayville Contractor Indicted on Theft Charges

A Bayville contractor had been charged as illegally posing as a contractor and collecting thousands in payments for repairs that he was not registered to complete. Stephan J. Sente, 50 has been indicted after being arrested based on contracts he had with toms River residents:

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Unregistered contractors prosecuted in one county but not the other November 2, 2009

Posted by tsclaw2209 in News.
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Interesting article here.  Ocean County has been nailing unregistered contractors left and right but neighboring Monmouth County doesn’t really bother with them.  Last year, the office prosecuted a total of 18 home-improvement contractors, 16 of whom were unregistered. So far this year, it is prosecuting 21 contractors, including 17 who are unregistered.  Those numbers were boosted by a sting operation that resulted in charges brought against eight unregistered contractors.

While Monmouth County may not target unregistered contractors, they do prosecute contractors that rip off their customers.  For example, they arrested Michael Rosko, onetime owner of Innovative Designs Inc. in Colts Neck.  He took more than $72,000 from six customers in Monmouth and Ocean counties in 2007 and 2008, but never delivered or installed the cabinets. He pleaded guilty to the thefts and was placed on probation for five years. He was also ordered him to repay more $72,604 to his victims.

I’ve won these cases and I don’t agree that they are all criminal cases.  I think some are just civil cases but since money issues are at the heart of the case, the contractors cannot hire a good attorney.  As a result, they get sold out.  I had a case that involved hundreds of thousands of dollars that got dismissed and my guy never paid a dime back to anyone.  But then  I read about these guys with a smaller dollar amount and they go to prison. 

One way to really avoid all of this is for contractors to call a good attorney as soon as there is any sign of trouble.