A Yorkville contractor has received a jail sentence for deliberately taking advantage of an elderly North York woman, defrauding her of most of her life savings and leaving her home in an almost uninhabitable condition.
Jack Singer was found guilty of fraud and theft and now must pay a restitution of $215,773.
Singer was paid $301,900 to renovate the home of Kennis Heath, then a 76-year-old Willowdale resident — but he never finished the job.
Court documents claim that Singer charged Heath for unnecessary and incomplete work and did not do some work at all.
He also grossly overcharged her for some items when compared to industry standards.
In the report, Heath’s son, Brian, described the senior’s home and garden as her pride and joy.
“My mother’s life was turned upside down and will never be the same,” Heath wrote in a victim impact statement. “It’s difficult to gauge the mental anguish and trauma my mother had to endure as her home was destroyed.”
Approximately three months after entering three separate contracts with Singer, Heath’s mental health deteriorated, and she was admitted to the psychiatric department at Sunnybrook Hospital, according to documents.
Heath paid Singer with money she withdrew from her savings account, as well as from her RRSP and RRIF accounts, which resulted in an income tax liability of almost $80,000.
Justice Glenn Hainey of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice sentenced Singer to a two-year term of imprisonment, less one day.