Scott Brown, 50, of Point Pleasant, N.J., was arrested by...

Scott Brown, 50, of Point Pleasant, N.J., was arrested by Nassau County district attorney investigators and charged with grand larceny. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 5 to 15 years in prison. (Aug. 1, 2013) Credit: NCDA

A New Jersey man has admitted to stealing $75,000 he was supposed to use to buy and install high-end windows in a Lido Beach home, but instead spent on restaurants, fishing gear and trips to Florida, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Scott Brown, 51, of Point Pleasant, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree larceny and paid full restitution, the Nassau County district attorney's office said in a news release.

In the summer of 2012, Brown, owner of Retail Renovation Llc. in Manasquan, N.J., "falsely represented" himself as an authorized dealer of Western Window Systems to a Nassau County general contractor, District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

"The contractor agreed to pay Brown $75,000 to purchase and install the high-end windows in a new home project in Lido Beach," prosecutors said. "Brown told the contractor that he would have the windows ready for installation in approximately 12 weeks."

The contractor gave Brown the money in two installments, and "Brown deposited the money into his bank account without ever ordering the windows," prosecutors said. "Brown's bank records indicate that he used some of the stolen funds for personal expenses such as credit card payments, fishing gear, restaurants and trips to Florida, as well as for business supplies and industry vendors."

Brown returned to the work site in December 2012 and told the contractor that "his sister has stolen the money" so he never ordered the windows, Rice's office said.

The contractor's attempts to get the money back and to subsequently contact Brown were unsuccessful, so the contractor went to the district attorney's office, prosecutors said.

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