New Hampshire Man Gets Jail for Scamming Customers

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Last week, The Union Leader newspaper reported that a local man was sentenced to nine months in jail for soliciting landscaping and other home improvement jobs from area residents, receiving payment and never doing the work.

John Hannaford pleaded guilty last Thursday to felony theft by deception. Under a plea agreement, Hannaford is required to pay back all the victims. The judge also ordered him to serve two years of probation upon release from jail.

The evidence showed that between Jan. 1, 2001, and April 21, 2004, Hannaford offered his services for landscaping, snow removal, interior painting, gutter cleaning, shed removal, and driveway and parking lot sealing, then either did not start the work or never completed it. He defrauded 27 clients, authorities said.