Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
A Falls Township contractor was sentenced to state prison Friday for cheating numerous clients.
Marc Haworth, 42, was ordered by Bucks County Judge James McMaster to service five to 10 years in a state correctional institution, a consecutive 25 years of probation and $191,404.52 in restitution to the victims he defrauded since 2011, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Haworth, according to prosecutors, admitted to all the allegations in the probable affidavit filed last year by Bucks County Detectives.
The crooked contractor accepted payments for work that he would never complete through his business Pool and Patio Specialist LLC. Victims of his crimes were located in Bristol Township, Falls Township, Northampton, Middletown, Solebury, Wrightstown and work not completed ranged from swimming pool construction to building sheds.
In additional to the money lost, homeowners who were bilked had to pay other contractors to correct and complete work that Haworth failed to complete.
Haworth admitted to fraudulently obtained state-required insurance and registration for Pool and Patio Specialist and other companies he formerly was associated with. His spotty background included three bankruptcy filings; a guilty plea in 2005 for deceptive business practices, theft by deception, criminal mischief and receiving stolen property; lies to his insurance company; and a 2012 loss claim, according to prosecutors.
As of Friday’s sentencing, Haworth had only repaid one victim in full. One victim is owned as much as $55,000, Deputy District Attorney A.J. Garabedian said.
Haworth pleaded guilty last year to 30 separate counts of home improvement fraud, deceptive business practices, theft by deception and insurance fraud.
