Multiple homeowners have accused an East End contractor of taking money for work that was never finished – or never done at all.<\/p>\n
Michael and Amelia Bauhs say what started as a home extension in East Quogue quickly turned into a nightmare.<\/p>\n
“It was a disaster,” said Amelia Bauhs.<\/p>\n
The couple claims they hired Singco Construction and paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars, but they say after their home was torn apart, the work stopped – and so did the communication.<\/p>\n
“We had a payment schedule that totaled $278,500,” says Amelia Bauhs.<\/p>\n
The couple filed a police report and then decided to Turn to Tara, hoping to warn others.<\/p>\n
“You feel helpless. What do you do? That’s kind of why we’re reaching out to you and also to expose these people,” says Michael Bauhs.<\/p>\n
The team started digging into their case and discovered that it’s not the only one.<\/p>\n
At least a dozen other customers Tara Rosenblum spoke with made similar allegations, including Bill Blau, from East Quogue.<\/p>\n
“We gave him $15,000, and I got absolutely nothing,” he says. <\/p>\n
News 12 also heard from a local electrician who alleges that after years working with the company, he suddenly stopped getting paid two years ago.<\/p>\n
That’s when he says the owner’s son, Jeffrey Singer, took over.<\/p>\n
“On two jobs, I was not completely paid,” said Phil Fitzpatrick, of Fitzpatrick Electric Incorporated. “I said, ‘What’s going on? Is there a gambling problem? A drug problem? What’s going on because all of the sudden, there’s no payments.'”<\/p>\n
News 12 also found an active criminal case.<\/p>\n
Police in Southampton arrested Jeffrey Singer in December, charging him with third-degree grand larceny for allegedly taking $15,000 from a Hamptons Bay homeowner without delivering the work.<\/p>\n
News 12’s public records request also shows 11 violations and six complaints on record with the Suffolk County Consumer Affairs Department.<\/p>\n
The town has since suspended the company’s license.<\/p>\n
Rosenblum was able to reach Singer over the phone. He said he couldn’t comment while the criminal case is pending, so for now, the homeowners say they are still waiting for answers and warning others to be careful.<\/p>\n
“It’s just very upsetting,” says Blau.<\/p>\n