Nassau Contractor Stole More Than $110,000 From Church: DA

A Freeport contractor was arrested on Tuesday for stealing more than $110,000 from a church in Mineola, District Attorney Madeline Singas said.

Gennaro Festa, 72, was charged with second-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud at his arraignment. He is due back in court on Sept. 21.

“This contractor is accused of defrauding a house of worship by stealing more than $110,000 that was earmarked for a new sanctuary,” Singas said. “Contractors who disregard the law will be held accountable for their crimes.”

According to Singas, on May 14, 2014, the Grace International Assembly of God church entered into a contract with Festa's company, Falcon General Construction Service, to perform demolition work and build a new sanctuary for the church. Two weeks later, the church wrote Festa a check for $116,760 to purchase steel for the project. Singas said that, instead of paying his steel manufacturer, Festa stole the money and spent it on his daily expenses, like food and gas.

From June 2014 through March 2017, Singas said that Festa attended church meetings about the progress of the building and told people that he had the steel for the prefabricated building in storage. Singas said that he also submitted at least a dozen certificates stating he had obtained and was storing the steel, which he was not.

In January 2017, Singas said that the church contacted the steel supplier and learned that the steel had never been ordered, paid for or delivered anywhere.

Because of Fest, Singas said that the church's project has stalled, and is only partially completed. Singas's office began an investigation into Festa's actions in May 2017, after church leaders filed a complaint with her office.

Photo courtesy Nassau County District Attorney's Office