Man Who Scammed Suffolk Homeowner Out Of $200K Sentenced To Prison: Suffolk DA

HUNTINGTON, NY — Nicholas Spano was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison after he scammed a woman out of $200,000 of her retirement and savings funds, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Wednesday.

Spano, 59, posed as a home improvement contractor during the scam, Tierney said.

“Anyone who would take advantage of a vulnerable victim via a home improvement scam or any other type of scam should be forewarned,” Tierney stated. “We take all consumer crimes seriously at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. We will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law and send you to upstate prison for scams such as this.”

Spano pleaded guilty to exploiting a woman from September 2019 to December 2020, the DA said. Another contractor recommended Spano to the woman, officials said. In September 2019, he gave an estimate for home improvement work on the woman's Huntington residence, authorities said. Spano gained her trust and then manipulated her into giving him money for different reasons, prosecutors said.

Spano's behavior escalated to making threats of violence against the woman, her family, and her associates, officials said. His actions continued for more than a year until the woman's retirement and savings accounts were depleted, the DA said.

When Spano was arrested on April 24, 2022, he told Suffolk police officers, "She's doing this because I took her for the money," investigators said.

He was arrested at a sober house in Islip, the Suffolk DA's Office said. Spano has previous addresses in Lindenhurst, St. James, East Meadow, Levittown and Bellmore.

Spano pleaded guilty in November to second-degree attempted grand larceny.

He was sentenced Wednesday and was represented by John Halverson.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of any home improvement scam in Suffolk County
was told to contact the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at 631-853-5602.