Contractor who ripped off 3 Upstate NY homeowners charged in 3 more Central NY cases

Clay, N.Y. — A contractor who has a history of pocketing money he had been paid to renovate homes has been charged with ripping off three more Central New York customers.
Dakota A. Smith, 29, was charged late last week grand larceny in each case.
Smith has pleaded guilty to similar crimes in Albany, Greene and Saratoga counties. He is scheduled to be sentenced early next year.
He was first arrested earlier this month in Onondaga County after he was accused of taking a $5,000 deposit from a Bayberry family and walking away, according to the State Police.
Smith now been charged in three more cases:
Smith is being held on no bail in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail, records show.
Authorities are examining how many other Central New York families may have hired Smith, and whether any work he agreed to do was completed.
Peter Hakes, a prosecutor in Onondaga County, said last week that about a dozen complaints about Smith have been filed with law enforcement.
“This is a very active, ongoing investigation,” he said.
A Baldwinsville family told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that they had paid Smith nearly $62,000 for an addition to their home. They now have an 11-foot-deep hole in their backyard they are trying to fill in before winter arrives.
Smith also faces two civil lawsuits from homeowners who say he took their money but did not complete agreed-upon renovations.
Smith previously served about a year in state prison after he and his mother took more than a million dollars from her employer, the East Syracuse-based New York State Weatherization Directors Association.
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Troopers ask anyone with information about Smith to call them at 315-366-6000 and refer to case NY2400786199.
Are you a homeowner who has had a dispute with contractor Dakota Smith? We would like to hear your story. Email [email protected] or [email protected].
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Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at [email protected] or @mossjon7.