Dalton contractor gets 2-4 years for stealing customers' downpayments

CONCORD - A Dalton was sentenced Tuesday to 2-4 years for three class A felony counts of theft by unauthorized taking for violating an injunction issued under the New Hampshire Consumer Protection Act.

Jaime J. Deforge, 44, who owns "Twin State Mobile Home Repair & Remodeling," signed a 2021 consent judgment, which contained an injunction issued under RSA 358-A:4, III that prohibited him from accepting prepayments for materials or deposits for labor.

An investigation by the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau revealed that after Deforge's injunction was issued, he solicited and accepted advance payments from consumers on several occasions. The investigation revealed that Deforge accepted a total of $59,632 from five victims without performing promised work. For three of the victims, Deforge solicited and received an advance payment in full which he subsequently spent on other projects and various personal expenses unrelated to the consumers' projects. In total, Deforge stole $21,132 from the three victims in the theft cases.

On two of the theft charges, Deforge was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in the New Hampshire State Prison. On the third theft charge, the Court sentenced him to 5 to 10 years in the New Hampshire State Prison, fully suspended for 10 years from his release. This sentence will be served consecutively to his stand committed sentences and also require full repayment of restitution to the victims.

On the misdemeanor violations of the Consumer Protection Act, Deforge was sentenced to 6 months in the House of Corrections, fully suspended for 10 years from his release, to be served consecutively to his stand committed sentence and concurrently with the fully suspended sentence.

Each suspended term requires Deforge, and any company he owns or operates, not to accept or solicit an advance payment from any New Hampshire person or entity or for any job located in New Hampshire.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of home contractor theft, please contact your local police department or file a consumer complaint with the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau at https://www.doj.nh.gov/consumer/.