Scoca
WHITE PLAINS – A New Rochelle man is accused of stealing over $79,000
from a family that was planning to move to Westchester County from the
Bronx.
Michael Scoca, 52, was charged with three counts of identity theft and three counts of grand larceny, all as felonies.
In late 2015, he claimed he was a licensed general contractor and convinced the family planning to move that he would build them a new home. He also convinced them to give him five separate credit cards to pay for materials and construction costs for the new home. Rather than complete the new residence, it is alleged that Scoca used the victims’ personal information and credit card numbers to pay for his own unrelated business and personal expenses, including a payment of close to $3,000 for fees he owned to a New Rochelle yacht club, a purchase of over $1,000 in precious metal coins, and several other purchases totaling thousands of dollars from local retail stores and through his own PayPal account.
In just two months Scoca stole over $79,000 from the victims.
He is also currently charged with grand larceny in Rockland County after being accused of failing to complete a kitchen remodeling job.
If convicted of the Westchester charges, he faces up to seven years in state prison for reach offense charged.
The District Attorney’s Office advises anyone considering hiring a home contractor to check with the Westchester County Department of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau first. If a consumer believes he or she has been defrauded by a contractor, they can file a complaint with the county DA’s Office.
