Toms River contractor faces charges after failing to complete house lift, renovation contract
Thomas Carlevale, 29, of Thomas Carlevale Construction in Toms River failed to complete a house lift and renovation contract, authorities allege. (Photo: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office)
A Toms River contractor is facing theft charges for failing to complete a Sandy-related home lift and renovation job for which he was paid over $20,000, authorities say.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office filed an arrest warrant for Thomas Carlevale, 29, of Thomas Carlevale Construction in Toms River yesterday after Mary and Nick Ditta of Seaside Heights reported the contractor on Monday, spokesman Al Della Fave said in a release.
The couple told prosecutors that while they contracted Carlevale to lift and renovate their Seaside Heights home, the work was left incomplete, according to the spokesman.
The prosecutor’s Special Investigations Unit alleges that the Dittas paid Carlevale approximately $22,000 for the services, for which the contractor spent $4,500 before abandoning the work and leaving the house damaged and incomplete, Della Fave said.
The investigation further found that Carlevale was not registered with the state as a home improvement contractor when contract was drafted, he said.
Following the issuance of an arrest warrant for theft by failure to make required disposition and failure to register as a home improvement contractor, investigators arrested Carlevale after a motor vehicle stop on Washington Street in Toms River, the spokesman said.
Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels set bail at $50,000 with no ten percent option.
Anyone experiencing issues with Carlevale’s construction company can contact Det. Brad Frank of the office’s Special Investigations Unit at 732-929-2027 x3689.
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