TOMS RIVER – A Lacey Township man has admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from a client after not performing work on the victim’s home, officials said.
Jeffrey Crawford, 50, of Lacey Township, pled guilty to the crime of Theft. At the time of Crawford’s sentencing on January 12, 2024, the State will be seeking a term of three years in New Jersey State Prison, along with approximately $70,000 in restitution to the victim.
In May 2021, a Toms River resident filed a complaint against Crawford, who was trading as Hercules Renovations, LLC. The homeowner told police that they entered into a contract with Crawford in September 2020 to remodel the first floor of his residence, and gave Crawford a down payment of $115,000.
Despite Crawford sporadically performing some work on the property, he abandoned the job in March 2021 – only after causing extensive damage to the residence.
Authorities discovered that a significant portion of the monies tendered by the homeowner to Crawford were utilized for Crawford’s own personal benefit rather than for completion of the project. Crawford expended more than $40,000 on gaming activity in Atlantic City, and approximately $30,000 on other personal items.
In total, Crawford misappropriated approximately $70,000 of the monies provided to him by the victim homeowner to perform the contract, officials said.
On October 14, 2021, Crawford was taken into custody at Toms River Township Police Department Headquarters. He was released on a summons pending a future appearance in Ocean County Superior Court.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler who is handling the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Toms River Township Police Department and Detective Bureau, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit, Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, and Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs, for their collective assistance in connection with this investigation.
