NORRISTOWN, Pa â A Quakertown contractor will have to rebuild his life from behind prison bars after deceiving 13 Montgomery County homeowners by taking more than $240â000 for remodeling projects that were not completed.
âI find it absolutely reprehensible. You stole. You didnât just steal moneyâ you stole some of (the homeownersâ) dreamsââ Judge Paul W. Tressler scolded Mark Anthony Zaffarano on Tuesday before hammering the builder with a one- to two-year county jail term and 12 yearsâ probation.
Zaffaranoâ 48â of the 100 block of South Second Streetâ pleaded guilty to felony charges of deceptive business practices and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received in connection with incidents that occurred between January 2002 and August 2003.
The judge constructed a sentence that will allow Zaffarano to be eligible for the jailâs work-release program so that Zaffarano can begin paying $241â500 in restitution to the homeowners he duped. The homeowners resided in Schwenksvilleâ Lower Frederickâ Lower Salfordâ Upper and Lower Gwyneddâ Springfield and Upper Dublinâ court papers indicate.
Tressler warned Zaffarano that he risks going to state prison if he violates the sentence or doesnât pay the restitution.
âThis is another example of a crooked contractor getting what he deserved â jailââ said Assistant District Attorney Steven Latzerâ who argued for jail time against Zaffarano. âPerhaps he can remodel his jail cell to keep his skills sharp.â
Zaffaranoâ according to prosecutorsâ took payments from homeowners for various home remodeling projects and never began some projects or performed some work but never returned to complete it. Homeowners were left in the lurchâ having to hire additional contractors to finish the projects while never receiving refunds from Zaffaranoâ prosecutors alleged.
âThis isnât just a financial loss. Itâs an emotional burden. It really put (the homeowners) in a Catch-22ââ Latzer said.
Zaffaranoâ the married father of threeâ apologized to the homeownersâ some of whom were in court on Tuesday.
âI am truly sorry. It was never my intent to never finish your jobââ said Zaffaranoâ facing an Upper Dublin couple that fell victim to his shoddy business practices. âI will never run a business again.â
Zaffaranoâ who owned Zaffarano Constructionâ claimed his business fell apart after a former customer stiffed him of $40â000â setting off âa domino effect.â Defense lawyer Louis Busico said Zaffaranoâ who has filed for bankruptcy and listed his victims as creditorsâ inherited a troubled family business that he tried to steer in the right direction but failed.
âI think he just buried his head in the sand and should have closed his business many months agoââ Busico said. âHeâs sort of a sad sack of a person. He needed money from one job to pay for another.â
Busicoâ adding Zaffaranoâs family needs his supportâ argued for leniency as well as work release for Zaffarano.
Howeverâ the judgeâ who found Zaffaranoâs excuses hollowâ said a jail term is warranted and that Zaffarano should have thought about the consequences of his actions on his family long before he got into trouble. Tressler said Zaffarano set a poor example for his children.
In July 2002â according to a criminal complaintâ a Dresher couple hired Zaffarano to construct an addition to their Somerset Street home. During the course of a yearâ the couple wrote six checksâ totaling $63â507â to Zaffaranoâ detectives said. Zaffarano started the work but completed less than 25 percent of it.
A subsequent inspection determined the work to be âof inferior quality because of structural integrityââ the complaint alleged. The homeowner estimated the loss at $22â410â which includes work not performed pursuant to the contract and costs required to repair the substandard workâ according to the criminal complaint.
In February 2003â a Lower Frederick homeowner hired Zaffarano to construct a sunroom addition to his Meng Road home. The homeowner gave Zaffarano $20â875 of the total $28â750 project cost. Zaffarano never completed the addition and never refunded any moneyâ detectives said.
A North Wales homeownerâ according to the criminal complaintâ hired Zaffarano in August 2003 to finish an existing basement and add a powder room to the Gosling Drive home for $15â030. The homeowner gave Zaffarano a $4â500 down payment but Zaffarano never returned to begin the workâ detectives alleged.
©Reporter online.com 2005