ST. CHARLES COUNTY — An O’Fallon contractor has pleaded guilty to defrauding three of his clients and faced a harsh rebuke from a judge.
Joseph Restivo, 31, owned Phoenix Construction, a St. Peters-based construction business specializing in small construction jobs such as installing siding and building decks and porches. Restivo said in court on Monday that he became overwhelmed by his business in mid-2021 and had “too few employees to complete the jobs, so I just didn’t do them.”
Three of his former clients in St. Charles and St. Louis counties notified the Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division when Restivo failed to complete the construction jobs. The three individuals were defrauded of $23,100 collectively.
“Why do you cheat people? I’ve been doing this for 26 years, and I can tell you what a crook looks like, sir,” St. Charles County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pelikan told Restivo on Monday.
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Restivo has agreed to a deal with prosecutors that would allow him to plead guilty to one count of deceptive business practices and stealing, while two other such counts are dropped. Prosecutors are recommending he receive probation and pay restitution to the victims.
He faces sentencing next week.
