GUILTY: Crooked SJ Contractor Took $40,000 in Job Money to Gamble in Atlantic City, NJ

Don't you just hate it when you hire a contractor to work on your home and they take your money and gamble it away in Atlantic City? That's the nightmare one Jersey Shore homeowner has been living for more than two years.

But that nightmare came to an end this week as the crooked contractor in question plead guilty and finally owned up to his crimes.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, back in September of 2020, 50-year-old Jeffrey Crawford took a $115,000 down payment to perform a home improvement project in Toms River.

Crawford, of Lacey Twp., reportedly began the first-floor residential renovation he was hired for, but by March of 2021, he'd abandoned the job.

Two months later, the homeowner had enough and alerted authorities to the rip off.

Get our free mobile app

But who's got time for painting and flooring when the slots and tables in Atlantic City come calling?

On Monday, Crawford admitted to gambling away $40,000 of the homeowner's money and blowing through another $30,000 of it for his own personal expenses. Totally reprehensible, and the judge presiding over the case agreed.

When sentencing commences in January of next year, prosecutor's will be recommending Crawford not only pay $70,000 in restitution, but also serve at least three years in state prison.