Mass. contractor exposed in NBC 10 investigation faces charge NECN [Video]

A home improvement contractor is facing a criminal charge for accepting $25,000 from a Stoughton, Massachusetts, homeowner and then never even putting a shovel in the ground to start her backyard pool project.

On Thursday, Larry Westgate was arraigned on a count of larceny by false pretense in Stoughton District Court. He was released on personal recognizance and ordered not to perform any contracting work while his case is pending.

Outside of court, Westgate covered his face and declined to answer questions from an NBC10 crew, other than to refer to his situation as a “bunch of b*******.”

Westgate is accused of cashing the $25,000 check from Rose Khnaizir in March 2021 for the backyard swimming pool. The project never started and Khnaizir never received her money back.

During an interview last year, Khnaizir said she worked around the clock as a nurse throughout the pandemic and saved up for …