A Schuyler County jury found a Naples contractor and his company guilty Friday of stealing more than $50,000 from a customer's home improvement deposit.
Joel Smith, 67, and Naples Contracting Inc., also known as Diversified Contracting Co., were convicted of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records, according to the Schuyler County District Attorney's Office.
The jury found that Smith and his corporation entered into a home improvement contract with a customer and accepted a $90,000 deposit.
Smith then misappropriated more than $50,000 of that money for his own purposes, prosecutors said.
The jury also found that Smith created false business records and gave them to the customer to justify the taking and conceal the theft, according to the district attorney's office.
District Attorney Jeremy Hourihan prosecuted the case during a four-day trial that ended with the Oct. 16 verdict.
Second-degree grand larceny is a Class C felony, and first-degree falsifying business records is a Class E felony.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 17.
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