Contractor Takes The Money, Then More Money, Then Runs…
BY: 24/7 CRIME DESK | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Palm Beach County contractor preying on residents of Century Village Boca Raton allegedly preyed on a victim who called the cops. Now, Joseph Giannetto is out of jail on bond — again — after facing another charge of relating to theft. We first reported on Giannetto here.
In the latest episode, Giannetto, who is responsible for “Gianetto and Sons,” entered into an agreement to renovate a condo at Century Village in Boca Raton. The total cost: $23,500. The alleged victim paid 50-percent, as requested, as a down payment. The project started in August of 2022 and seemed to be going well until it wasn’t. After a non-load-bearing wall was knocked down, and various other parts of the project were started, Giannetto told the victim that he needed an advance on the balance. Eager to get the work done, the victim paid additional money, and even provided a “personal loan” after Giannetto said he was having a problem with cash flow and needed the additional funds to keep the project moving along. Giannetto signed a document confirming that the additional funds represented everything due for the project.
But the project stalled. Week after week, month after month, the alleged victim called, texted, even mailed Giannetto in an effort to get the work completed. The alleged victim was living in a condominium that looked like an unfinished construction project. Because that’s apparently what it was.
Documented police in their investigative report: ”From December 2022 to June 2023, Mr. Giannetto completed no significant work on the project in spite of the victim’s constant calls and text messages to Mr. Giannetto requesting and estimated completion date for the project. In June of 2023, Mr. Giannetto contacted the victim and told him that he did not have sufficient funds available to purchase the kitchen cabinets which were included in the original $23,500 price listed on the original invoice/contract. Mr. Giannetto told the victim that the cabinets were needed to complete the kitchen remodel. The victim, desperate to get the project completed, provided Giannetto with a $5,000 check to purchase kitchen cabinets on June 3, 2023. No kitchen cabinets were delivered to the victim and Mr. Giannetto never provided the victim with any proof of purchase for the cabinets.”
After several months of investigation, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to the matter wrote this: “My investigation concluded that the victim and Joseph C. Giannetto entered into a contract for services agreement authorizing Giannetto and Sons Construction to complete a kitchen, dining room, and living room remodeling project at (the victims’) condominium in Century Village Boca Raton.” The work, according to the police report, was never completed, and Giannetto refused to refund the money paid. That led to Giannetto’s arrest for Larceny on Monday. Giannetto posted $5,000 bond and is again awaiting trial.
