Contractor Pleads Guilty in $40K Theft from Nanuet Couple, Fellow Volunteer Firefighter

D.A.: Bardonia man unlicensed, used money from victims to finance other projects

BY BILL DEMAREST

NEW CITY – An unlicensed contractor from Bardonia has pleaded guilty to grand larceny for stealing $40,000 from a Nanuet couple who hired him to do renovations on their home, according to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe.

Michael Kubasek of 7 Village Green, Bardonia, was accused of cheating a fellow volunteer firefighter in the Nanuet Fire Department who had borrowed against his pension from the New York City Fire Department to pay for the renovations. Zugibe said that Kubasek used money obtained from the victims for personal uses and to finance other projects – forcing the victims to pay subcontractors who had been hired by Kubasek to do work.

As part of his plea, Kubasek must repay $40,000 and must repay $10,000 to another victim in connection with bad checks written to a landlord. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison when Kubasek is sentenced in Rockland County Court on Jan. 10, 2014.

Zugibe said Kubasek knew his victim as a fellow volunteer firefighter in Nanuet. Kubasek learned the firefighter wanted to make improvements to his home and he solicited his business.

Kubasek agreed to do work on the home in June 2011. Although the work was originally limited to installation of central air conditioning, Zugibe said that when Kubasek learned the family was considering an addition to their home he sought their business and was hired to add a sunroom, a family room and install windows, doors, siding and make roof and deck repairs.

Soon after work began, the victims found out subcontractors hired by Kubasek had not been paid even though Kubasek had been paid. Zugibe said Kubasek walked away from the project, failed to provide an accounting of funds and failed to return money to the victims.

An investigation by the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit and the Rockland County Department of Consumer Protection led to the prosecution of Kubasek.