Contractor sentenced to state prison after bilking Massachusetts homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars

Plymouth – A Plymouth man was sentenced to state prison after admitting in Plymouth Superior Court to running a fraudulent swimming pool business that bilked Massachusetts homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz announced.

Steven Docchio, 59, pleaded guilty to four counts of larceny over $1,200. He received a split sentence of two and a half years in state prison, with nine months to serve and the remainder suspended during a ten-year probationary period. As conditions of probation, Docchio is required to pay full restitution to his victims and is permanently barred from any construction or landscaping work. Prosecutors had sought a term of four and a half to five years in prison followed by five years of probation.

During the height of the pandemic, when demand for residential pools skyrocketed, Docchio preyed on eager homeowners by promising unrealistically quick timelines and claiming privileged access to building departments and material suppliers. After collecting large deposits—often tens of thousands of dollars—he repeatedly stalled with false assurances that materials were on order and work would soon resume, only to abandon the projects entirely. In total, he pocketed more than $500,000 for installations he never completed.

“This so-called contractor made promises to homeowners that he never delivered upon,” Cruz said. “Through his schemes and scams, Docchio victimized these people and stole from them—first their trust, and then their money. I am hopeful that with this defendant now going to jail and ordered to pay restitution, it will bring some form of closure to his victims.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane.