Broome County District Attorney F. Paul Battisti announced today that Timothy E. Hoose, Sr., 51, of Berkshire, was sentenced on March 20, in Broome County Court before the Honorable Carol A. Cocchiola, following his conviction for Grand Larceny in the Third Degree after a Jury Trial.
Mr. Hoose was sentenced to an indeterminate term of Two (2) to Six (6) years in New York State Prison. In addition, the Court entered a Civil Judgment in favor of the victim.
The conviction stems from criminal conduct that occurred between September 2023 and January 2024 in the Town of Windsor. During that time, Mr. Hoose, while doing business as H&H Contracting, entered into a construction contract with the victim to build a garage structure on the victim’s property. Pursuant to that contract, the victim paid a $15,000.00 down payment.
Evidence presented at trial established that Mr. Hoose illegally converted over $3,000.00 of those funds for purposes unrelated to the project. Under New York State Lien Law, Mr. Hoose was required to hold the down payment in trust on behalf of the victim and to use those funds solely for the project, while also properly accounting for their use.
Mr. Hoose further failed to provide the victim with an accounting and disposition of the trust funds despite a written request made pursuant to the Lien Law.
“This sentence reflects our commitment to holding individuals accountable when they exploit positions of trust for personal gain,” 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐅. 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢.“Contractors who misuse client funds will be prosecuted, and our office will continue to protect homeowners and pursue justice for victims of financial exploitation. New York State’s Lien Law exists to safeguard the public from this type of misconduct.”
Senior Assistant District Attorney Nathaniel O’Neil prosecuted this case on behalf of the Broome County District Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of District Attorney Investigator John Butler. The case was investigated by the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.
