Huntington Contractor, Company Plead Guilty In Fake Building Permit Case: DA

HUNTINGTON, NY — A Huntington contractor and his company pleaded guilty after providing a Great River homeowner with a forged Town of Islip building permit for a pool and pool house project, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Robert Cortese, 39, of Huntington, and Tool Time Construction Inc. entered guilty pleas Nov. 5 in connection with the fraudulent permit presented to the homeowner in 2021, prosecutors said.

According to court documents and admissions made during the guilty pleas, the homeowner hired Cortese and his company in May 2021 to install a pool and construct a pool house at a Great River residence.

After the homeowner repeatedly requested proof that the project had been approved, Cortese presented what he claimed was a legitimate Town of Islip building permit in October 2021, prosecutors said.

The homeowner later questioned some of the completed work and contacted the Town of Islip Building Department, where they learned the permit was forged and had never been issued by the town, authorities said. Investigators determined that no building permit application had ever been filed for the project.

Investigators also determined that Cortese did not have a valid Suffolk County home improvement contractor license at the time of the work, prosecutors said. However, the District Attorney's Office was unable to pursue a charge related to the license because the statute of limitations had expired.

Tool Time Construction Inc. pleaded guilty on Nov. 5 to second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a class D felony. Cortese pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a class A misdemeanor.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz sentenced both Cortese and his company to conditional discharges as part of their guilty pleas.

Cortese and his company were represented by attorney Marc Gann, who was not immediately available for comment.

“A forged permit is never simply a shortcut; it is a crime,” Tierney said. “This defendant provided falsified documentation to persuade a homeowner to pay for work that was never submitted to the town, let alone approved to start the job. Tool Time Construction now stands convicted of a felony, and its owner has also admitted his guilt. If you are a homeowner and have any doubts as to whether or not your building permit is valid, we urge you to contact your town building department.”