Boca Raton Contractor Accused Of Taking $1,000, Vanishing

Allegedly Scams Area Woman Seeking Hurricane Shutter Help.

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A 63-year-old Boca Raton man is facing a felony charge after Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators say he took a $1,000 deposit for a home improvement job and never finished the work. Paulo Rocha is accused of violating Florida’s contractor fraud statute, which makes it a crime to accept construction funds and fail to either complete the job or return the money.

According to the arrest report obtained by BocaNewsNow.com, Rocha agreed in March 2025 to replace an accordion window shutter at a home in Lake Worth for $1,000 in materials plus $200 in labor. The homeowner paid him by check, which he cashed the next day. The shutter was never installed.

Investigators say the homeowner spent months trying to get Rocha to finish the job or give her money back. He allegedly offered a string of excuses, including a claim that the shutter had been damaged and that he was waiting on a refund from a supplier. By October 2025, he had stopped responding to her texts altogether, and his phone numbers were disconnected. His last message to her, in September, said he would reach out after leaving a clinic.

The case remained under investigation for months before a detective was able to obtained a warrant for Rocha’s arrest. Rocha was arrested on Sunday and remains held without bond early Monday morning.