BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A Williamsburg contractor has been indicted for allegedly stealing approximately $318,000 from a Park Slope couple after charging them for a large-scale home renovation but performing almost no work, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Hayk Safaryan, 43, was arraigned on a second-degree grand larceny charge in Brooklyn Supreme Court. He was released without bail and is scheduled to return to court on April 2.
Prosecutors say Safaryan, a licensed general contractor at the time, signed a contract with the victims in June 2022 for a $1.29 million renovation of their brownstone. The couple wired him a $322,523 deposit, but aside from $4,000 spent on a site safety plan, he allegedly used the funds for personal expenses, including a $28,000 down payment on a 2018 Porsche Macan SUV, designer goods, rent, and travel.
By February 2023, Safaryan’s contractor license had expired, and he allegedly stopped responding to the victims’ repeated requests for a refund. Prosecutors say he initially gave various excuses for the delays before ceasing communication altogether.
“This defendant allegedly lined his own pockets by taking advantage of a Brooklyn family who put their trust in him,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, vowing to hold fraudulent contractors accountable.