Contractor Abandoned Seaside Heights Sandy Repair, Kept Money: Prosecutor

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- A contractor has been charged with theft and failure to register after failing to finish renovations on a Sandy-damaged home in Seaside Heights, prosecutors say.

Thomas Carlevale, 29, of Thomas Carlevale Construction in Toms River, was arrested Wednesday after a motor vehicle stop on Washington Street, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Carlevale is charged with theft by failure to make required disposition and failure to register as a home improvement contractor, Della Fave said. He posted the $50,000 bail set by Judge Wendel Daniels with no 10 percent option, according to jail records.

The investigation into Carlevale began when Seaside Heights residents Mary and Nick Ditta reported him to the prosecutor’s office, Della Fave said. They told investigators they contracted Carlevale’s company to lift and renovate their home in Seaside Heights but that the work has been left incomplete.

The investigation by prosecutor’s office’s Special Investigations Unit alleges the Dittas provided about $22,000 to Carlevale for the requested services, of which Carlevale spent approximately $4,500 on the job before abandoning the work and leaving the residence damaged and incomplete, Della Fave said.

In addition the investigation found Carlevale was not registered with the state as a home improvement contractor at the time the contract was drafted, he said.

Anyone experiencing issues with Thomas Carlevale’s construction company can contact Special Investigations Unit Detective Brad Frank at 732-929-2027 Ext. 3689.