Police Arrest New Jersey Contractor Accused of Theft

Police have arrested a New Jersey contractor who they allege took nearly a quarter-million dollars from clients but never started the promised work.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office says 56-year-old Peter Rinaldi, of Little Egg Harbor, was arrested Friday more than a week after authorities started looking for him.

Authorities say Rinaldi operated under the companies Donovan Mark Custom Builders and Mark Anthony Custom Builders. They allege that he accepted checks from 12 clients totaling $247,225 between July 2014 and August 2016 for renovations at private homes but put the money into his personal bank account and spent it on himself.

Rinaldi is charged with theft by deception and theft by failure to make required disposition of property received; it’s unclear whether he has an attorney.