Fraudulent Fall River grease hood cleaner sentenced to jail involving businesses across Bristol County

A 62-year-old Fall River man has been convicted of performing uncertified commercial hood cleaning services at area restaurants, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.  

Antonio Borges, the former owner of Borges Cleaning Pro of Fall River was recently sentenced to the Bristol County House of Correction in connection to a series of criminal complaints in the Fall River and New Bedford District Courts. 

Collectively, the complaints alleged that between April 2022 and October 2023, Borges engaged in a scheme through various Bristol County communities to perform uncertified commercial hood cleaning services at local restaurants by forging the inspection stickers of legitimate, certified companies in order to continue to operate despite the fact that Borges’ certificate to operate had been suspended and then later revoked by the Massachusetts State Fire Marshall. 

Borges’ crimes have a wide-ranging, significant impact, according to the DA.

“They jeopardize the livelihood of owners of area restaurants who operated under the mistaken belief that their commercial hoods had been inspected by a certified cleaner, exposing the owners to a potential loss of business if closed for remediation as well as to the owners’ general reputation. Borges further jeopardized the lives and safety of the operators, their staff, patrons, and fire fighters who may respond to dangerous grease fires caused by the lack of proper cleaning. Lastly, the crimes have had a significant adverse impact upon the owners of the legitimate businesses whom Borges impersonated by damaging their reputation in the community as well as the financial cost of needing to pursue charges in an effort to rebuild their reputation and avoid the suspension or revocation of their license.”

Borges’ Hood Cleaning Certificate of Competency was suspended on February 3, 2022, for four years by the State Fire Marshall. Borges’ certificate was permanently revoked by agreement on or about September 29, 2022. The investigation revealed that Borges had utilized a fraudulent inspection sticker at at least seven Fall River establishments.  

Borges also posed as a representative from a licensed grease hood clean company and performed fraudulent services at two Westport establishments and one in New Bedford.

Borges was sentenced in these cases to one year in the Bristol County House of Corrections, with 90 days to serve and the balance suspended for two full years.  If he is arrested again during the next two years, he would be liable to serve the remainder of the one-year jail term.

The cases were investigated by Troopers assigned to the State Fire Marshall’s Office, the Department of Fire Services Code Compliance and Enforcement Unit, Fall River Police, Fall River Fire, Westport Police, Westport Fire, New Bedford Police and New Bedford Fire departments. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Russ Eonas.

“The defendant deceived unsuspecting restaurant owners by holding himself out to be a certified grease hood cleaner when his license had been suspended. Not only was this fraud, but he created a significant fire hazard that could’ve resulted in death or serious injury to employees, customers and firefighters. I’m pleased he was held accountable for the scam he was perpetrating on businesses,” District Attorney Quinn said.