OCEAN COUNTY – Contractors who came to the region to swindle people desperate to have their homes rebuilt were sentenced to prison.
John Bishop, 57, of Celebration, Florida, will get four years, and will have to pay $178,425 in restitution to the victims. His partner, Paul Rueda, 50, of San Diego, Texas, will get five years and will have to pay $542,800.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said that between October 2014 and May 2017 they defrauded six homeowners in Ocean and Monmouth counties with their company, John Paul Building, LLC.
The company was created in 2012, was paid more than $350,000 from these homeowners, did little to no work, and then disbanded without returning any money, police said.
Furthermore, Rueda created PKR Construction and was paid $363,575 in 2016 and 2017 for projects. Some of the work was done, but none of them were completed.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler who handled the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit, Little Egg Harbor Police, Brick Township Police, Point Pleasant Borough Police, and Middletown Township Police, for their collaboration.
