A Valley Stream business owner says she lost more than $16,000 after hiring a contractor who allegedly misrepresented his credentials and never completed promised renovation work.

According to Nassau County police, 40-year-old Paul Sanderson was hired to remodel a store at the Green Acres Mall. The business owner says Sanderson claimed to be affiliated with a Lindenhurst-based construction company and told her he had a team ready to begin the project.

The renovation was scheduled to start in April, but the owner said the work never got underway. Instead, she says she received a series of excuses explaining the repeated delays.

"We found out that he was not associated with that company, and that COI he provided also was false, which was invalidated by his insurance agent," she said. "He claimed he was in conversation with him and negotiating with him. It was fraudulent. They said he hadn't been in touch with him. His insurance was, in fact, expired in 2024."

The owner said the financial loss was made even more difficult because she trusted the recommendation.

"Not only was it a monetary loss, it came from a reference. I was more horrified," she said.

Police said the incident was reported on June 16. Sanderson was arrested Monday and charged with grand larceny and identity theft.

He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 1.

Police are asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Sanderson to contact the Suffolk County Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit at 631-852-6821.