James: Contractor lied, stole $50K
Man accused of posing as Iraq War vet to get deposits for repair jobs
A contractor whose sentencing on an attempted larceny charge was delayed during the coronavirus pandemic allegedly continued to bilk homeowners out of thousands of dollars in cash, according to Attorney General Letitia James.
James said Dwight Fiero, aka David Fiero, 44, allegedly stole more than $50,000 from homeowners who were seeking repairs to their homes last year. He was arraigned on Wednesday.
Fiero went before Albany County Court Judge Andra Ackerman to face 10 counts of fraud after he allegedly took advantage of at least nine homeowners. Many of the homeowners in Albany and Saratoga counties hired Fiero after he gained their trust with stories of serving as a U.S. Marine in the Iraq War. However, he was never deployed. He was assigned food service duty at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va.
“As New Yorkers struggled with the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is appalling that Dwight Fiero cheated hardworking homeowners to line his own pockets,” James said. “Not only did this individual violate the public’s trust, he also undermined our nation’s integrity by making a mockery of the brave men and women who actually serve our country.”
These are new charges for Fiero who has been in trouble with the law on multiple occasions for the same crime. Wednesday’s appearance alleges he committed this round of fraud between April 24, 2020, and Nov. 22, 2020, while he was released and awaiting sentencing on an attempted larceny charge after he altered a check he received from a customer. In that case, he added a zero to a $1,000 check and then tried and failed to deposit the resulting $10,000 in a Citizens Bank ATM.
Fiero is currently serving 18 months to three years for his prior conviction.
Fiero also racked up seven arrests between 2006 and 2019 on similar charges of larceny and issuing bad checks.
According to prosecutors, Fiero advertised himself as a military combat veteran who could build and install backyard decks. Fiero advertised his services under the businesses War Cry Contracting, Veterans Contracting and Battle-scarred Contracting.
Fiero is also charged with soliciting large upfront deposits for work, and then failing to perform the work or doing it poorly. In one instance, Fiero allegedly enclosed a porch for a homeowner that needed to be replaced. The enclosure could not bear weight and the roof couldn’t support any anticipated snow load. In addition, the windows were not properly flashed, which could cause leaks and rot over time. Lastly, the homeowner had a porch with gray siding, but instead Fiero installed tan siding, which left the homeowner with mismatched siding.
“This contractor acted in bad faith by taking tens of thousands of dollars from homeowners with absolutely no intention on following through on agreed upon construction projects,” said State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen. “I commend the members of our Financial Crimes Unit and the Attorney General’s Office for seeking justice for these homeowners.”