Contractor pleads guilty in home improvement fraud cases

A Houston man has pleaded guilty to three counts of felony home improvement fraud and two misdemeanor charges related to a string of instances where he contracted for work and did not complete it.

Jeremy Bowen, 46, could face up to eight years in prison on the charges with sentencing still to be determined. Bowen was originally slated to be sentenced Friday, June 6, in Delaware Superior Court in Georgetown, but Department of Justice spokeswoman Caroline Harrison said that date is being rescheduled. Besides possible prison time, Bowen will be ordered to have no contact with listed victims and must pay restitution, which will be determined at sentencing. 

Bowen was first charged in March 2024 after police accused him of taking $43,000 from a 72-year-old man to build an in-ground pool. However, Bowen did not do any work on the pool. At that time, he was released on his own recognizance. 

In July 2024, Troop 4’s Financial Crimes Unit began investigating Bowen’s Delmarva Landscaping Solutions LLC and Shoreline Escapes LLC for additional instances of home improvement fraud. Police said in March 2023, Bowen signed a contract with a 65-year-old Georgetown man who paid him $27,500 to install an in-ground pool, but the job was never completed. In September 2023, police said, Bowen signed a contract with an Ocean View woman who paid him $18,000 to install an in-ground pool. Bowen was also found to have signed a contract with a Frankford man who paid Bowen $1,600 to install a fence. In all cases, police said, the work was not completed, the contracts were not fulfilled and only one victim received partial reimbursement.

Bowen was eventually charged with two counts of felony home improvement fraud over $1,500, felony home improvement fraud over $1,500 where the victim is over 62, felony theft by false pretense over $1,500, and felony theft over $1,500.