Strongsville Man Accused Of Defrauding Churches, Nonprofits

STRONGSVILLE, OH — A Strongsville man is accused of defrauding churches, schools, companies and others out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Christopher Hardin, 37, has been charged with one count of mail fraud. The DOJ said Hardin's victims are in Northeast Ohio, New York, Maryland, Iowa, Utah and other regions.

According to information from the DOJ, Hardin formed the American Safety Surface & Recreation LLC (ASSR) in 2011. The company was ostensibly a playground surfacing provider that operated in several states, the information said.

Between September 2011 and November 2016, Hardin defrauded his clients out of approximately $172,964, the Department of Justice said. He did this by obtaining deposits for promised playground construction that he never completed, the DOJ added.

The DOJ said Hardin ordered $261,083 in playground equipment from a company in South Carolina. He never paid for the equipment, the DOJ said. Harden then subcontracted approximately $270,127 of playground renovations to another company and then didn't pay them for the work, the DOJ added.

According to the DOJ's information, Hardin would lie to clients about the use of project deposits, the timing of construction projects, and issues delaying the projects. Hardin would then use the money on buying a vehicle, restaurant and bar purchases and clothing, the DOJ said.

The Department of Justice said the following organization suffered losses because of Hardin's scheme (with approximate losses listed next to their names):

• Plainview Co-Op Nursery School ($28,755);
• Hudson Valley SportsDome, Inc. ($28,380);
• Saint Bellarmine Church ($21,375);
• St. Stephan of Hungary School, New York, New York ($18,450);
• St. Paul Lutheran Church & School, Ogden, Utah ($6,550);
• the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center, Cleveland, Ohio ($15,900);
• Norbeck Montessori, Rockville, Maryland ($6,000);
• Village of Dolgeville, New York ($4,000);
• Northfield Presbyerian Daycare Center, Northfield, Ohio ($7,125);
• All Kids First I & II, Vineland, New Jersey ($9,500);
• NORWESCAP,Inc.,Phillipsburg, New Jersey ($2,475);
• John Link, Thompson, Ohio ($300);
• Little Wonders Daycare, San Mateo, California ($6,629);
• Lorene Cosimo, Cummings, Iowa ($1,825)
• Jan & Niles Davies Learning Center, and West Haverstraw, New York: $15,700