McInerney
GOSHEN – A Blooming Grove home improvement contractor was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown on Monday to more than seven years in state prison for weapons possession, felony tax evasion, and defrauding customers of his business.
On August 18, 2016, Daniel McInerney, 48, of Blooming Grove pled guilty to two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for illegally possessing two handguns. On that same date he had also pled guilty to criminal tax fraud for failing to report and pay to New York State personal income taxes, and scheme to defraud for having defrauded customers on home improvement contracts.
Blooming Grove Town Police had received several complaints that McInerney had accepted payment for several home improvement projects and failed to substantially complete the jobs or deliver materials that were to be purchased for the projects, in violation of the state’s lien law. Further investigation found he had failed to pay his personal income taxes for 2010 amounting to over $3,000 and for 2013 of more than $1,500.
The investigation led to execution of a search warrant at his home where police seized several loaded firearms, ammunition and business records.
McInerney was sentenced to five years in prison and five years of post-release supervision on one weapon charge and two and one-third to seven years in prison on the second weapon charge. The judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
He was also sentenced to one and one-third to four years in prison on the scheme to defraud charge and one to three years on the criminal tax fraud charge. Those sentences were ordered to run consecutively to each other and to the sentences he received on the weapons possession charges.
McInerney is scheduled to appear in court again next month for a conference concerning restitution to his victims.
“It is important that homeowners know their rights when dealing with home improvement contractors,” said District Attorney David Hoovler. “Unscrupulous contractors give legitimate contractors an undeserved bad name.”
