POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Under the watchful eye of her daughter, Margaret Dorman said her nightmare began in July.
The 87-year-old woman went over to her neighbor's house to ask about his new impact windows. He recommended Niraj Sethi. She called him and he showed up in no time.
"When he found out that I was going to pay cash, I guess bells began to ring," Dorman said.
The retired teacher's aid said Sethi, 46, asked her to meet him at a shop in Pompano Beach so that she could choose the windows she wanted.
"'Now if you will give me the check today,' he says, 'I will get them ordered and ... we'll have them installed,'" Dorman said.
Dorman said she gave him $18,500. Days passed, then weeks and no windows. She said Sethi would show up at her house and make excuses.
"He never brought me the paperwork," Dorman said.
Dorman got fed up and called BNT Services, the contracting company for which Sethi told her he worked. She got the owner on the phone.
"He was telling me they had to let him go, because of shady deals," Dorman said.
Dorman called deputies for help. They set up a camera in her home to catch Sethi in his lies.
Sethi was on probation when he was arrested this week on charges of falsely identifying himself as a contractor and grand theft.
"It makes me sad because he was a nice guy," Dorman said.
Dorman said BNT Services offered to install her windows for a deep discount.