(La Porte County, IN) - A local handyman is accused of taking thousands of dollars but not doing the work he was given the money to do.

Jeff Gidley, 31, is charged with fraud. According to court documents, the man received more than three thousand dollars in advance to remodel a kitchen on Monroe St. in La Porte. He was also allegedly paid over $18,000 in advance for improvements to a home in Michigan City.  According to court documents, the money was supposed to go for materials needed for the work, which was never done.

In both cases, contracts for the work were signed in the fall. Eventually, authorities said the victims went to the police when Gidley kept giving them excuses on why he wasn’t showing up to complete the work and failed to refund the money.

He’s the owner of Handyman Services by Jeff.

Gidley, who’s from La Porte, could face an up to five year prison sentence on each of the counts combined.