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Fred Senter, of Pittsfield, was found guilty of five counts of larceny Over $250 from a victim over 60 years of age, 19 counts of theft of over $1,200, stealing less than $1,200, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said.
A judge sentenced him to eight to 10 years in prison. The prosecutor had asked for an 18-year-old sentence — one year for each of his victims.
Senter opened in 2018 Northern Stell Buildings and Structures in Lee Massachusetts, which specialized in fabricating carports and steel structures for private homeowners and public facilities.
In 2020, he began taking orders for services and asking for have of his payment up front. He would almost never complete those jobs, the prosecutor said.
Senter had victims in Berkshire County and througout Massachusetts as well as in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, authorities said. He pocketed more than $300,000 from his victims.
Many of those victims gave impact statements before his sentencing on Wednesday, May 22.
“Ultimately Senter’s collected hundreds-of-thousands of dollars out of the pockets of families and small business owners," District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue said. "The defendant created and continued a pattern of fraud which was sustained over a period of time. Senter’s attempt to financially rob people with no accountability for his actions is unacceptable. Financial fraud is not just emotionally draining but also places real stress on small businesses and individuals.”
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