Sarasota business owner took money for paving contracts. He didn’t do work, cops say

A Sarasota business owner was arrested after he accepted thousands of dollars from customers for work that was never completed, according to investigators.

The owner of Five Star Brick Pavers, Thomas B. Borchert, was charged with scheme to defraud and two counts of grand theft.

Investigators say Borchert, 45, of Sarasota, signed contracts with several customers and was paid nearly $15,000 in deposits for the jobs. The work customers paid for, detectives said, was never completed, according to the sheriff’s office.

One customer told the sheriff’s office the work should have been completed by September 2017; but by July 30, 2018, no materials had been delivered to her home, no work was done and she had not received a refund.

Her story wasn’t unique, the affidavit showed.

Doing some research of her own, the victim found multiple other people who said they had similar interactions with Borchert’s business and provided their information to detectives.

Investigators spoke with two other victims in Sarasota County as part of the investigation who claimed Borchert agreed to renovate driveways and walkways but ignored them after receiving payment as early as 2015, according to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Sarasota business owner took money for paving contracts. He didn’t do work, cops say."