South Jersey Contractor Richard Smith Accused Of Ripping Off Homeowners, Never Completing Work
RIVERTON, N.J. (CBS) -- A South Jersey contractor is accused of ripping off homeowners, allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars for renovation projects but never completing the work.
Investigators in Riverton say several homeowners have reported getting bamboozled by the same contractor. And police believe there could be more victims.
"We planned on putting a whole second floor on our house," Riverton resident Meghan Foley said.
Foley and her husband carefully designed the plans for their dream home renovation project here in Riverton.
"We have a family with a couple kids so we just wanted to have more space for ourselves," Foley said.
The Foleys say they gave 51-year-old Richard Smith, of Williamstown, nearly $75,000 for the project, adding Smith was supposed to start the work in November. He never did.
"Hadn't scheduled anything, hadn't ordered anything. No progress was happening at that point," Foley said.
"We didn't know if we were ever going to see our money again, which at this point, it doesn't look like we are," Dan Foley said.
Riverton police are concerned there could be more victims.
Riverton police announced Smith's arrest Wednesday related to the Foleys home. Since then, other alleged victims have come forward.
"We've had about four or five reach out and say that a similar situation has happened with them," Riverton Police Officer Jacob Reeder said.
No one answered when CBS3 called Smith's alleged business, ARB Builder's Group.
Police are still trying to figure out exactly where all the money went. Officers initially thought he spent it on trips to Atlantic City casinos and even on a boat.
"The investigation led that he did not buy a boat. He just took pictures off Facebook and added it to his profile to make it show that he's buying all this stuff and making it seem that he was living this big lavish life," Reeder said.
As for the Foleys, they say they have now found a reputable company to do the work, though they'll have to scale down their project.
"We are going to get started in April," Meghan Foley said.
For those seeking contractors, police say ask for references and then call those references and never pay in full until all the work is completed.
Smith remains locked up in the Burlington County Jail. He has a detention hearing set for Friday.
Authorities asked anyone who believed they were victimized by Smith to call the Riverton Police Department at 856-829-1212.
