Toms River Solar Contractor Got $485K, Didn't Do Work: Prosecutor

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Toms River man who was the CEO of a solar company is accused of taking more than $485,000 for work to put solar panels on a private school, a church and a home and not completing the work, the Monmouth County prosecutor's office said.

Christopher Tzokas, 48, of Toms River, was arrested last week following the investigation that initially began in June 2017, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced.

The investigation was prompted by a report from the school that Tzokas had taken $408,331 from the school for work that was never completed, Gramiccioni said. The investigation then found that Tzokas, the former CEO of Greenlife Solar LLC, had received $43,493 from the church, and $33,468.75 from the homeowner for work that was not completed. All three happened between December 2015 and June 2016, he said.

Prosecutors allege Tzokas would typically begin the solar installation process after receiving initial payments. He would then stop appearing at the job site and become inaccessible and unresponsive to the clients, and spent the funds for his own personal use, authorities allege.

Tzokas is charged with one count of second-degree theft by deception and two counts of third-degree theft by deception. He faces up to 10 years in prison on the second-degree charge, with up to five years without parole and fines of up to $150,000. He faces an additional five years on each third-degree charge with up to 2.5 years without parole and up to $15,000 in fines. He was arrested Feb. 1 by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office with the assistance of the Toms River Police Department.

Anyone with information to assist the investigative team is urged to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Stephen Borchard at 800-533-7443. The case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Diane Aifer.

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