“I hope in his ‘time out’ he’s able to see what he did,” Deloris Hilliard said after Jason Wallace was convicted for stealing more than $70,000.

TAMPA, Fla. — When a Hillsborough County judge sentenced Jason Wallace of Pasco County to more than five years in prison, Deloris Hilliard called it “justice,” but his court apology to her was not enough. 

“I do not accept his apology… because like I said, he didn’t show [it]. Action speaks louder than words,” she said. 

Wallace, who pleaded guilty to charges for unlicensed contracting and stealing from someone 65 years or older, owes Hilliard more than $70,000 for construction jobs he never completed. 

RELATED: Homeowners say Pasco man took thousands, left construction jobs unfinished

“How we used the bathroom, Mr. Wallace. We took a bucket and we used it,” Hilliard said during her impact statement she made during the sentencing. “We dug a hole, Mr. Wallace.”

Hilliard was one of several people who reached out to 10 Investigates claiming to have problems with Wallace.

“We were out of the house for 16 months,” said Jerome Johnson of New Jersey. 

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“I was pretty much left with no floors, nothing in my kitchen,” said Benissa Smallwood of Pasco County, where Wallace was convicted of unlicensed contracting charges. 

During his sentencing for charges in Hillsborough County, Wallace told the judge he could not finish the jobs because the work cost more than what the Hilliards could pay.

“My intention is not to put you and your husband in this situation. That was not my intention,” he said. “But when we kept on moving on and the money wasn’t there to do it, it was hard for me. I didn’t have it. I really didn’t have it.” 

The judge reminded Wallace he did plead guilty and was supposed to pay restitution. However, Hilliard and her husband said they have seen nothing. 

“I hope in his ‘time out’ he’s able to see what he did,” she said. 

Upon release, Wallace will still have to pay more than $80,000 in restitution in Hilliard’s case and another in Hillsborough County. He must also pay more than $160,000 in two more Pasco County cases. He will also be on probation for three years. 

Experts say to always make sure a contractor is licensed before hiring. Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation has an online search tool to look up contractors by name, license number, geographic location or license type. 

Emerald Morrow is an investigative reporter with 10 Tampa Bay News. Like her on Facebook. You can also email her at emorrow@10tampabay.com.