Utica Contractor Charged After Failing to Deliver on $80,000 Job

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UTICA, NY — June 26, 2025— A months-long investigation by the Utica Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division has led to charges against a local contractor accused of pocketing a large payment and vanishing without doing the work.

According to police, in October 2023, a local business paid $80,000 to a contractor for repair work. Over the following weeks, the business remained in contact with the contractor, who repeatedly promised to start the project but never did. Eventually, the contractor stopped responding altogether.

Frustrated and out a significant sum of money, the business contacted Utica Police. Investigators gathered the details, and after a thorough review, identified the suspect as Christopher Owen, 41, of Utica.

Owen has now been charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a felony.

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