I-Team Tracks down Manchester man accused of stealing thousands from homeowners

MANCHESTER, Conn. (WFSB) -For the first time the I-Team is hearing from the Manchester man behind a home improvement company that is accused of stealing thousands from clients.

Between sit-down interviews and reviewing court records, the I-Team knows the details of 6 homeowners who say they hired Jason Lapointe working under the name, ‘Carpentry by Jay’.

(https://www.wfsb.com/2023/06/06/help-not-guaranteed-homeowners-who-lost-money-home-improvement-scam/)

All 6 say the work they paid for was either never complete or never even started. One of the homeowners is Fred Lehmann, from Vernon.

“Every story is their own unique story, but there’s a common thread to these stories, and in this case it’s Carpentry by Jay,” said Lehmann.

The I-Team’s investigations found all 6 cases happened during an 8-month period between the fall of 2021 and the summer of 2022. Jason Lapointe was not registered with the state at that time, so he wasn’t legally allowed to do contractor work at all.

As some homeowners stopped hearing from him, arrest warrants say Lapointe was signing new contracts in other towns.

If you add up what the I-Team’s learned from interviews and court records, Lapointe owes the 6 homeowners more than $120,000.

Lapointe did not answer the I-Team’s multiple requests for comment, so we went to his court hearing.

Lapointe was in court Wednesday facing two separate felony counts of second degree larceny. One is related to a case in Coventry. Jason Lapointe is also charged with a making or offering home improvements without a current certificate of registration in the case. The arrest warrant says ‘Carpentry by Jay’ cashed a check for more than $18,000 from a woman with the promise of replacing all of her windows, but the windows were never ordered.

In Vernon, Jason Lapointe is charged with a separate count of second degree larceny. In that case, court records say Lapointe took $8,000 from a woman to repair her roof, but he never started the work.

Wednesday’s hearing was short. A public defender was appointed, and Lapointe did not make a statement. However, he did have something to say afterwards when the I-Team caught with him.

Cassidy Williams: “Mr. Lapointe, is there anything you want to say to the homeowners?”

Jason Lapointe: “To the homeowners? Yeah. I’m sorry that I caused any inconvenience to you. Other than that I don’t have anything else to say.

Cassidy Williams: “How did this happen? Why did you keep taking on jobs?”

Jason Lapointe “I don’t have anything else to say. What do you mean taking on jobs? We went out of business. I didn’t continue taking on jobs.”

Cassidy Williams: “Well after Debra Kellie’s and different things you kept taking on more jobs according to the court records.”

Jason Lapointe “No, that’s not true.

Cassidy Williams: “Anything else you want to say to the homeowners? Do you plan to pay them back?”

Jason Lapointe “Absolutely.”

Cassidy Williams: “How do you plan on doing that and when?”

Jason Lapointe: “As soon as I can”

Cassidy “Any idea on how long that will be?”

Lapointe: “No”

Jason’s wife Kathleen is also facing several charges for her involvement in the company.

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