To Catch a Contractor

Throughout reporting our “To Catch a Contractor” series, this question keeps emerging: Does Massachusetts law need to change to make it easier for consumers to hold bad contractors accountable?

The branch of the U.S. Department of Justice that polices bankruptcy cases is demanding a slew of financial records and also wants to depose a home improvement contractor and his wife, according to a court filing obtained by the NBC10 Investigators. The case involves Liam McNeil, a licensed nurse practitioner who had been moonlighting as a contractor running LHS...

With the spring weather arriving, you might be thinking about some improvements to make around the house. However, Massachusetts State Police are warning people to keep an eye out for a sophisticated group of traveling contractors, often with ties to Ireland and the United Kingdom. The transnational scheme is something the NBC10 Investigators have been tracking for the past year…

The Newton, Massachusetts, home that Ariel Dowling and husband Aron Levin purchased a couple of years ago had many of the characteristics they were looking for during their search, including a community feel and walkability to shops, restaurants and their kids’ elementary school. But at 100 years old, the house was in need of some updating to make it more…

When Paul Kless hired Donald McNeil to build an addition at his Bridgewater home in 2017, the contractor’s career as a Randolph firefighter provided added peace of mind. After years of saving up, Kless and his wife, Susan, wanted to add space for their family of three growing boys. “This is somebody trustworthy,” Kless remembers thinking. “I so blindly trusted…

Desa Vazquez walked us to the piece of property in Mansfield, Massachusetts, that she eventually hopes to call home. The mother of three kids said she saved up for years working 80-hour weeks in the health care field to afford a place to live. Standing and looking at the plot of land, Vazquez recalled the excitement of finally finding a…

Dan O’Connor remembers getting the voicemail and feeling confused. The structural engineer has more than 30 years of industry experience works on large transportation projects for state agencies and municipalities. According to the message, there were questions about a report he’d supposedly written about a home in Malden, Massachusetts. “I had zero idea what they were talking about,” O’Connor...

Becky Levesque returned from a business trip in April 2022 and discovered the deck at her Freetown, Massachusetts, home had been demolished. “I was really confused,” Levesque recalled. That’s because Levesque and her partner, Leo McDonough, had hired Larry Westgate of All Phases Renovations to reface the existing structure, not build a new deck from scratch. Other red flags quickly…

For the second time, the owner of a pool company who’s accused of leaving a path of destruction across Massachusetts lost an argument to have his bail reduced as he awaits trial in Plymouth County. As the NBC10 Investigators reported in July, Steven Docchio was arrested on a warrant following a grand jury investigation that resulted in a 17-count...

Massachusetts homeowners are being warned about a transnational criminal organization accused of operating a sophisticated contracting scam. The scheme involves fake websites, fake reviews, and fake companies. The NBC10 Boston Investigators have found dozens of victims around the Boston area. Most are out a few thousand dollars. Some have lost much more. “Nothing looks like it was done professionally,” said…

The owner of a paving business is heading to prison after admitting to stealing money from his customers and disappearing without ever doing the work. William Pusateri, who operated Priority 1 Paving, pleaded guilty to a series of larceny charges in Middlesex Superior Court on Monday and received a two-year prison sentence. Homeowners who lost hard-earned savings were hoping for…

While juggling a full-time job and three triplets running around the house, it’s pretty easy to see why Kelsey Janak looks forward to a few quiet moments swinging on the front porch of her Acushnet home. After building the house and moving in with the young kids in 2020, Janak and her husband saved up to build the front...

The owner of a pool company who’s accused of leaving a path of destruction across Massachusetts will not have his bail reduced as he awaits trial in Plymouth County. As the NBC10 Investigators reported in July, Steven Docchio was arrested on a warrant following a grand jury investigation that resulted in a 17-count criminal indictment. On Oct. 18, Docchio appeared…

Steven Docchio, the owner of a pool company who’s accused of leaving a path of destruction across Massachusetts, was unsuccessful in his attempt to get his $50,000 bail reduced so he can get out of jail as he awaits trial in his Plymouth County criminal case.

Finding an affordable apartment in this housing market can certainly be a challenge. It was even more challenging for one viewer who reached out after she said she lost thousands to a man pretending to be a real estate agent. “I didn’t think I was going to cry,” Sofía Mariscal said through tears of frustration, recounting how she and...

The owner of a pool business who faces criminal charges after an NBC10 Boston Investigation followed an alleged trail of unfinished projects across Massachusetts has been arrested, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday, several months after a grand jury returned an indictment against him. The NBC10 Boston Investigators uncovered an alleged path of destruction tied to Steve...

Proposed legislation that would require background checks of contractors who register in Massachusetts and would provide more money for consumers who get ripped off was introduced on Beacon Hill. The bill, filed by Democratic State Sen. Susan Moran, came in response to our award-winning “To Catch a Contractor” investigative series. “This is a direct result of your investigative reporting,” Moran…

After hiring a contractor to renovate the kitchen at their Wakefield home, Russell and Beth Carman said the project started to go down the drain. At first, the couple said they noticed signs of shoddy workmanship. And then larger problems surfaced during town inspections. “The electrical was a mess. The structural was a mess,” Beth Carman recalled. “And then [the…

The NBC10 Boston “To Catch a Contractor” investigative series is raising questions about the state fund meant to help consumers recoup money if they get ripped off or have to repair damage from shoddy work. Our findings are already prompting changes from state lawmakers and the stage agency in charge of overseeing the fund.

The owner of a pool business is facing a long list of criminal charges after an NBC10 investigation uncovered an alleged path of destruction across Massachusetts and homeowners who said they lost thousands of dollars. The pattern of unfinished projects sparked a Plymouth County grand jury investigation, which has resulted in a 17-count indictment against Steve Docchio. According to court…