Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe announced that Michael Kubasek, 44, of Nanuet has been charged with a third degree felony count of Grand Larceny. According to the charge, Kubasek, an unlicensed home improvement contractor working under the business name of V & J Mechanical, is alleged to have stolen more than $35,000 from a Nanuet couple, who had hired him to renovate their home.
He was arraigned on Wednesday, Dec. 26 in the Town of Clarkstown Justice Court and released on his own recognizance. Kubasek is due back in court on February 13. If convicted on the charge of Grand Larceny, Kubasek could be sentenced to up to seven years in state prison.
Kubasek worked with one of the victims as a volunteer firefighter in Nanuet. In June 2011, Kubasek and the homeowners entered into a home renovation agreement for the installation of central air conditioning. When the couple planned an addition and repairs to their home, a second agreement was reached and they reportedly paid Kubasek more than $35,000. The money came from the pension fund of one of the victims who was a retired New York City firefighter.
After work began, the couple learned the subcontractors hired by the defendant had not been paid and they had to pay them directly. According to the charges, Kubasek did not answer the couple’s questions about the subcontractors and abandoned the uncompleted project.
Kubasek is accused of walking away from the job and failing to provide an accounting or return of the victim’s money. By failing to provide an accounting of how the money had been used and by not returning the money upon the demand of the consumer, Kubasek accused of violating both the Penal Law and the Lien Law.
His arrest resulted from an investigation by the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit and the Rockland County Department of Consumer Protection.
