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Jeffrey Crawford, 50, of Lacey Township, pleaded guilty to theft by failure to make required disposition of property on Monday, Oct. 23, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
In May 2021, the Toms River Township Police Department was contacted by the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs with regard to a complaint lodged by a Toms River resident against Crawford, who was trading as Hercules Renovations, LLC.
A subsequent investigation by the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau determined that the victim homeowner entered into a contract with Crawford in September 2020 to remodel the first floor of his residence, for which the homeowner gave Crawford a down payment of $115,000.
While Crawford sporadically performed some work on the property, he abandoned the job in March 2021 — only after causing extensive damage to the residence, Billhimer said.
Further investigation revealed that a significant portion of the monies tendered by the homeowner to Crawford were utilized for Crawford’s own personal benefit rather than for the completion of the project. Specifically, Crawford expended more than $40,000 on gaming activity in Atlantic City, and approximately $30,000 on other personal items, Billhimer said.
In total, Crawford misappropriated approximately $70,000 of the monies provided to him by the victim homeowner to perform the contract.
On Oct. 14, 2021, Crawford was taken into custody at Toms River Township Police Department Headquarters. He was released on a summons.
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