Rober Cortese, 37, of Huntington, was formally charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced on Thursday, June 26th.
The owner of Tool Time Construction, Inc. allegedly committed false advertising when he claimed he had secured proper permitting to conduct business within the Town of Islip. Such stems from the revelation that he presented a forged building permit to a customer in Oct. 2021.
In May of that year, Cortese was contracted to complete a Great River-residing client’s pool and install an adjacent pool house on the same grounds. He assured the homeowner he was due to obtain all the necessary permitting, and upon constant inquiry, apparently gave in to providing a “copy” of permitting proof the client’s way to confirm compliance on his part.
“Unlicensed contractors have no safe haven in Suffolk County,” said District Attorney Tierney.
After a complaint was issued and the formal investigation wrapped, Cortese surrendered to the Suffolk County DA’s Office on June 25th. He was subsequently placed under arrest, and is due back in court on August 6th.
If convicted, Cortese faces 2 to 7 years in prison.
Tierney continued: “We continually work with the Department of Consumer Affairs to warn homeowners against hiring unlicensed contractors to work on their homes and caution unsuspecting owners to always check with the Department before signing a contract so they can be assured they are contracting with licensed home improvement contractors on whom they can depend.”