EASTON, Pa. — A pool contractor who scammed nearly 90 customers out of more than $1.5 million will spend up to 10 years in state prison.
A tearful Roger Kornfeind apologized to his victims as he pleaded guilty to home improvement fraud and two counts of theft Wednesday in Northampton County Court.
- Roger Kornfeind pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.5 million by accepting down payments to install pools he knew he couldn't build
- Judge Craig Dally sentenced him to five to 10 years in state prison
- Dally warned that if Kornfeind didn't make efforts to pay restitution, he would urge the parole board not to give Kornfeind early release
Dozens of hard-working families had hired him to create their dream pools where they and their friends could create wholesome backyard memories, he said. But after decades of building his business, Kornfeind said he suddenly discovered he was swimming in debt. He started accepting steep down payments from clients to pay bills with no way of performing the work.
"I should have known. I should have known," Kornfeind said of his foundering business. "I'm the oldest pool guy in the Lehigh Valley. I should have known."
The apologies were met by scoffs and rising indignation from the two dozen or so victims who attended the hearing. Many said he provided shifting stories about when he was going to do the work.
When it became clear their pools would never come, the excuses refocused on why their money hadn't been returned, changing from blaming attorneys to accountants he never named, victims testified.
"The subdued gentleman you see here? Oh, you should have seen his act," said victim Darcy Wolf, who called him Roger Dodger. Her family had hired him to build a pool so they could host a high school graduation party for her daughter and provide activities for the family.
Instead, Wolf said, the stress of their ordeal became overwhelming.
Kevin Korwicki accused him of stealing from children who missed out on promises of pool parties. He demanded to know where his money had gone before noting that Kornfeind had destroyed his own life.
"Some day, my wife and I will enjoy our new pool. And I will not remember his face, and I will not remember his name, because he is nothing," Korwicki said.
