Essex County, N.J. Contractor Admits Defrauding Bronx Home Owner

TRENTON N.J. - An Essex County, N.J. contractor who was paid nearly $100,000 to renovate the home of a Bronx, N.Y., woman, today admitted his role in defrauding her of the money in connection with the remodeling project, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today.

Raymond Norville, 45, of Orange, N.J., owner of RRL Unique Homes Inc., a construction company, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In 2011, Norville was a contractor who owned RRL Unique Homes Inc. The victim, identified only as “C.P.,” wanted to renovate her newly purchased home in the Riverdale section of Bronx. Norville agreed to perform the renovations on the residence for $250,000.  He submitted invoices to C.P., inducing her to pay him $98,600 in cash for the purchase of materials, supplies, architectural plans, rental equipment and permits needed for the project. Norville emailed pictures of materials that he intended to purchase. Norville neither delivered to the job site, nor provided proofs of purchase for the materials. By May 2011, work on the project had not started and C.P. demanded either a refund or the materials and supplies Norville promised to buy. Norville attempted to repay a portion of the $98,600 by providing C.P. with a check for $24,500, which was rejected for insufficient funds.

The count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 17, 2014.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Garcia for the New York Region; and detectives of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, under the direction of Commissioner Jan Gilhooly, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O’Malley in Newark.

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Defense counsel: David P. Schroth Esq., Trenton

Norville, Ray Information