The NBC10 Investigators have uncovered a contractor’s path of destruction across Massachusetts. Homeowners paid big bucks for pools and other home improvement projects, but were left with giant holes in their backyards and broken promises.
During a three-month investigation, we discovered criminal records and lawsuits spanning more than two decades in New England. From there, we followed the trail of money, tracked down the contractor responsible and asked authorities if he’ll be held accountable.
In our three-part series, “To Catch a Contractor,” in depth report, we also review the red flags consumers should be aware of before they hire someone for a project. And we take a closer look at the statewide system meant to provide oversight of contractors with a sketchy track record.
Watch the complete series here:
The NBC10 Boston Investigators have uncovered a contractor’s path of destruction across Massachusetts. Homeowners paid big bucks for pools and other home improvement projects, but were left with giant holes in their backyards and broken promises.
Instead of a pool, a gaping backyard hole
When we visited Huy Pham in late August, an enormous hole was all he had to show for the $60,000 he’d already paid a contractor to install a pool in his backyard in Sharon.
According to the project contract, his three kids were supposed to be swimming by the Fourth of July. But after breaking ground and digging the hole in June, Pham said the project came to a standstill.
Pham had hired Steve Docchio, owner of Xtreme Living Pools and Construction.
According to the web site, the company is “built on quality workmanship, dedication…and keenly focused on delivering breathtaking results.”
The contractor had seemed eager to start the project and knowledgeable about pool installations, Pham recalled. On the day they moved into their home in April, Docchio showed up to collect the deposit. When the timeline started to slip by a couple of weeks in June, Pham claimed the contractor did not take it well when he inquired about the delay.
“He just exploded on me and said, ‘No pool for you! No pool for you!’ I couldn’t believe what had happened,” Pham said.
Having already paid tens of thousands of dollars, Pham said he tried his best to keep the peace and get the project in motion. He later learned the local building department had not approved a permit when the heavy machinery dug the hole, a detail we confirmed with the town.
As the days of inactivity stretched into months, Pham said he bought temporary fencing to place around the hole and make sure his kids didn’t fall into the safety hazard. He purchased a pump to keep the mosquitos from swarming in the giant pit of standing water.
Huy Pham’s backyard in Sharon.
Pham said he’s worried about the deluge of summer rain eroding the hole toward the home’s foundation and threatening its structural integrity.
“It’s very tough because you promised your kids something,” Pham said. “I felt like I failed as someone who’s supposed to protect this family and protect the money. It’s a very tough pill to swallow.”
Court records reveal stack of expensive lawsuits
A review of Massachusetts court records revealed Pham is far from alone.
Charles Legg and his wife dreamed of a beautiful outdoor space at their home in East Falmouth.
When we visited Legg on the Cape, he showed us how his six-figure project remained frozen in state of disrepair.
“It’s a sick feeling,” he said.
Along with some interior renovations, the project called for a wraparound deck with a pergola and swim spa. At first, Legg said the work progressed as expected. However, he claims the timeline slowed and he said Docchio grew unresponsive.
Two years later, the deck is only half-constructed. The swim spa was never delivered. And there is a door Legg has been unable to use because there is a 5-foot drop to the concrete below.
Charles Legg’s backyard in Falmouth.
Legg and his wife sued Docchio and won a judgement of more than $388,000, including damages and money they’d paid for work and materials they never received. To date, they have not collected a dime.
Court records show Legg’s attorney has not been able to locate and seize any of Docchio’s assets to recoup the lost funds.
“You want to stop thinking about it every day because you’re angry and that’s not a good place to be as a human,” Legg said.
Kim O’Connor told us she knows the feeling.
Before her family could enjoy a picturesque patio and pool with an ocean view in their Duxbury backyard, she claimed Docchio abandoned the project with a majority of the expensive work still incomplete, according to a lawsuit filed against the contractor.
O’Connor had already paid the contractor $150,000 for labor and materials and then had to find another company to clean up the mess and finish the job. She said the price tag doubled.
“Emotionally, you just feel so violated,” O’Connor said. “You question who you trust and think, ‘Are there really people like this out there?’ Unfortunately, there are.”
O’Connor also took Docchio to court and won a sizable judgement of more than $356,000, but said she has also not had any luck collecting the money.
“The entire thing was horrible,” O’Connor said. “It took such a toll on my family.”
Kim O’Connor’s backyard in Duxbury.
In Marshfield, Frank Davis said he hired Docchio to upgrade his outdated pool so his son with special needs could use it for therapy.
After spending more than $30,000 for the project, Davis showed us a series of issues, including a rickety slide, tears in the liner and cracks in the concrete. He is now looking at thousands of dollars in repair work.
“He knew why we were doing this,” Davis said, explaining that the contractor had met his son. “When he left, the water in the pool was black. He wouldn’t answer our calls and wouldn’t come back.”
Davis also sued and tried to pursue a civil judgement until the case stalled as courts closed during the pandemic. Knowing there are other homeowners who have unsuccessfully recouple lost funds, Davis doubts he will resume the litigation.
“I’m old school. I’m a handshake guy, and he got me,” Davis said. “I was pissed. I work really hard for my money.”
PHOTOS: Projects Homeowners Say Contractor Didn’t Finish
Contractor’s criminal past spans two decades in New England
Our investigation revealed Docchio has a criminal history spanning more than two decades in New England.
Court records we reviewed show a list of home improvement-related convictions in Connecticut dating back to 1995. The offenses include larceny, issuing bad checks, violating probation, violating home improvement contracts, and failing to refund consumers.
More recently in Massachusetts, we found larceny charges in Stoughton, Millbury, Duxbury, and Orleans. Court records show those charges were dismissed or will be dismissed once Docchio pays restitution to the victims in those cases.
We also found a current felony case in Rhode Island for failing to pay back a $25,000 amount ordered by the state’s contractor licensing board.
We caught up with that consumer, Jeff Lemler, in Portsmouth.
“He always had 50 million excuses why he couldn’t come and work on a project,” said Lemler.
Lemler said he hired Docchio to tear down and rebuild a cottage. When the contractor allegedly abandoned the project, there were stacks of cinderblocks, but no roof, doors, windows, or interior finishing.
Jeff Lemler’s cottage under construction.
Lemler spent double to hire someone else and finish the project. He also lost months of rental income on the property, money he says helps pay for his mother’s dementia care.
“I felt downright panic and rage. I also felt disappointed in myself for letting my mother down,” Lemler said. “Justice served to him would be a real great relief to me.”
After arrest on warrant, contractor confronted
We contacted Docchio to get an explanation for the long list of lawsuits, criminal charges, and angry homeowners. He never responded.
However, we got a tip that Docchio was pulled over for erratic driving in late October. During the traffic stop, a Plymouth police officer spotted the warrant out of Rhode Island for Lemler’s case. He arrested Docchio and the contractor was charged as a fugitive.
We were waiting outside a courthouse in Warwick when Docchio showed up for his arraignment.
Outside a courthouse in Rhode Island where he was due for a hearing, pool contractor Steve Docchio gets a chance to respond to claims he stiffed a series of clients.
We asked about the criminal charges and owing consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars from civil judgements.
“False,” Docchio responded, while later adding, “For a journalist, you don’t know the truth.”
When asked to explain, Docchio remained tight-lipped until he entered the courthouse. Inside the courtroom, Docchio pleaded not guilty.
The judge gave the contractor an earful before ordering him held on a $30,000 surety bond.
Law makes it tough to prosecute contractors
When speaking with homeowners, a common theme emerged: How does someone seemingly get away with this so long?
“I don’t know how he sleeps at night,” said Greg Fly of Hanover.
Fly said he hired Docchio to complete an addition in 2018, but claimed the contractor walked away after pouring a foundation and leaving it exposed to the winter elements. Fly said water puddled in the foundation hole and started penetrating the basement.
A partially-finished project in Greg Fly’s backyard in Hanover.
Already out nearly $50,000 to Docchio, Fly said he then had to spend another $65,000 to get someone else to finish the space where they gather as…
