OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — On October 23, Jeffrey Crawford, 50, of Lacey Township, entered a guilty plea for the crime of Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Property before Judge Dina M. Vicari. The State will seek a three-year term in New Jersey State Prison and approximately $70,000 in restitution to the victim at Crawford’s sentencing on January 12, 2024.
The case began in May 2021 when the Toms River Township Police Department was alerted by the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs about a complaint against Crawford, trading as Hercules Renovations, LLC.
The investigation revealed that in September 2020, the victim homeowner had entered into a contract with Crawford to remodel the first floor of his residence. The homeowner provided a down payment of $115,000 to Crawford, who performed some work sporadically but abandoned the job in March 2021 after causing extensive damage to the property.
Further investigation uncovered that Crawford had misappropriated a significant portion of the funds for personal use, including more than $40,000 on gaming activities in Atlantic City and approximately $30,000 on other personal items. In total, Crawford misused approximately $70,000 of the homeowner’s money meant for the renovation project.