Manchester dwelling improvement enterprise accused of stealing countless numbers from clients

MANCHESTER, CT (WFSB) – A Manchester couple running a house enhancement organization is accused of thieving thousands of dollars from consumers.

The state is now investigating — and rates have been submitted.

Debra Kellie showed the I-Staff close to her Manchester dwelling that was fifty percent-finished.

“Everything was meant to be changed in below,” stated Kellie. “When the doors had been on, we cannot open the washer or dryer simply because the area is as well small.”

The guy Kellie hired to do the work even still left his personal checklist powering, showing all the matters that even now have to have to be finished.

“He did a truly sloppy work,” claimed Kellie.

Kellie says she hired Jason Lapointe to do the get the job done in December 2021.

She claims Lapointe instructed her they did not need a deal, a function estimate would be ample. Kellie also confirmed the I-Group texts from Lapointe where he asked her for income to buy provides.

“We trusted him, we even went to his house to supply the check out to him,” explained Kellie’s daughter Jennifer Kellie.

Lapointe was working underneath the company identify ‘Carpentry by Jay’.

Kellie states Lapointe started out doing the job on her home in the spring of 2022. She claims she stopped hearing from him a handful of months later.

What Kellie did not know is Jason Lapointe himself is not registered with the point out to do contractor perform at all. He the moment had a contractor’s registration, but only for a calendar year again in 2002, long ahead of the get the job done at Kellie’s position started.

In overall, Kellie says she paid out Lapointe more than $50,000.

“I’ve labored my entire lifetime. I’ve been a one mom since 2000. That was my revenue that I experienced for my retirement, and now it is absent.”

Kellie isn’t the only just one who states she’s lost hundreds.

“We have a amount of problems against Mr. Lapointe,” stated Connecticut Legal professional General William Tong.

The attorney general’s office, the Division of Purchaser Security (DCP) and nearby police are working alongside one another to investigate ‘Carpentry by Jay’.

Manchester law enforcement have verified they are actively investigating Kellie’s scenario.

A DCP spokesperson tells the I-Staff that in complete there are 6 problems submitted from ‘Carpentry by Jay’.

One particular of all those grievances has previously led to prison expenses in Coventry.

In Coventry, each Jason Lapoint and his wife Kathleen are charged with felony next degree larceny.

‘Carpentry by Jay’ was registered less than Kathleen’s title. That registration expired at the stop of March.

Courtroom records requested by the I-Crew reveal that in the Coventry situation, a home owner paid out ‘Carpentry by Jay’ a lot more than $18,000 to substitute all of her windows in March 2022.

Investigators say the $18,000 check was chased, but the windows had been hardly ever ordered.

Jason Lapointe is also struggling with a different 2nd degree larceny cost for a scenario in Vernon. Court information say in that predicament a property owner paid ‘Carpentry by Jay’ $8000 to fix her roof. The house owner suggests the operate hardly ever transpired.

“People require to be cautious about their house advancement contractors,” said Tong.

Lawyer Basic William Tong states persons ought to do a few points ahead of hiring a contractor.

Get a number of bids for any career.
Use the DCP web-site to make absolutely sure a contractor is registered and insured. A DCP spokesperson tells the I-Crew the individual actually doing the get the job done desires to be a registered contractor. In Jason Lapointe’s case, his wife’s registration doesn’t rely. Jason Lapoint is also billed with building or giving dwelling enhancements without registration in the Coventry Case. That is a misdemeanor.
Use the judicial branch’s internet site to see if a contractor has been sued in the earlier. If you search ‘Carpentry by Jay’ you are going to find a different civil lawsuit in the Coventry situation as very well as a few other lawsuits. In all 4 cases, the decide requested ‘Carpentry by Jay’ to pay out the plaintiffs.

Court docket records in the criminal case say Kathleen Lapointe instructed investigators the few bought into this condition “because of Covid and the increasing prices of lumber and employing issues.”

The two Kathleen and Jason Lapointe did not return the I-Teams calls or e-mail.

When the I-Team went to their house, no one answered the doorway.

Kellie can not get ahold of them either.

“He’s just disregarded me, ghosted me,” explained Kellie.

Kellie isn’t anticipating to get her funds back again, but she is hoping he is held accountable.

“I’m hoping simply because of me and all the other instances, that he receives some serious jail time,” stated Kellie.

Both equally Kathleen and Jason Lapointe are scheduled to be back in courtroom subsequent month.

Registered contractors in Connecticut spend into what is regarded as the Home Improvement Warranty Fund.

A DCP spokesperson tells us they are even now hunting into no matter if any of the grievances will qualify for funds from that fund.

It’s complex because it is not apparent if the company was appropriately spending into the fund because Lapointe himself was not registered.