Multiple customers allege fraud against Toledo contractor/landscaper

Matthew and Theresa Thrift wake up to the sight of drywall and fall asleep to the buzz of a drill as their Michigan home undergoes multiple major renovations.

“We’re hoping by Thanksgiving it’ll be done,” Matthew Thrift said.

The project was supposed to be completed last year. Matthew said after putting a request out last summer, the couple hired GreenLeaf Custom Home Remodeling LLC, owned by Nashid Pickett.

“He seemed knowledgeable, he was very positive in his pitch,” Matthew Thrift said.

But, the Thrifts said that positivity quickly faded. The house addition started and the couple said they continued making payments until progress stalled. That’s when Matthew pushed back.

“He stopped sending workers here then came out and said if you don’t pay we’re not working,” Matthew Thrift said.

The couple eventually filed a lawsuit for more than $360,000 accusing Pickett and GreenLeaf of breaching the contract, fraud, silent fraud, nuisance, promissory estoppel, malicious destruction of property, negligent destruction of property and piercing the corporate vail. A default judgement was ordered.

The lawsuit also alleges that a building inspector came out to the Thrift’s home and ordered all work to stop until there were proper permits.

“Not only did he steal from us, he stole from our children. That was their inheritance,” Theresa Thrift said.

The Thrifts aren’t sure if they will ever get that money back. To make matters worse, they have to pay another contractor to finish and fix what was started.

Nichole Bishop-Tregea is in a similar situation.

“Beyond frustrated and angry,” she said.

The nurse from Florida said she bought a home on Essex Street in Toledo and hired Pickett and Greenleaf to complete nearly $100,000 in renovations.

“We did, we had multiple conversations,” Bishop-Tregea said when asked if she trusted him.

13 Action News visited the home. It appears some flooring work was done.

Water bottles and paint buckets still remain on the floors though, while a pile of garbage sits in the backyard and wires stick out from the walls.

Bishop-Tregea said Pickett stopped sending updates and kept asking for more money, claiming there were new problems.

After spending nearly $200,000, Bishop-Tregea said she can’t get ahold of him and her house several states away remains unfinished.

“We spent a lot of time, a lot of money flying back and forth, trying to do this the smart way. Only to have somebody, I feel con us,” Bishop-Tregea said.

It doesn’t end there.

Mark Bonnell from Ottawa Hills in Ohio said he’s out more than $40,000 for what he calls a botched landscaping job with Greenleaf Landscaping LLC.

“I guess I feel lucky that I’m only out $42,000 because learning about some of these other people that are out two, three, four, five times that amount of money,” Bonnell said.

Bonnell claimed work wasn’t done correctly and what was planted by GreenLeaf died.

He said he tried to negotiate a refund with Pickett and GreenLeaf, but was unsuccessful.

With the complaints piling up, 13 Action News went straight to the source for answers.

No one answered the door at the remodeling business address.

Attempts to connect with Pickett over the phone before this story aired were unsuccessful. However, after it aired, Pickett reached out.

13 Action News spoke with the attorney for GreenLeaf, who said Nashid is “deeply concerned” and wants to find the best way to put everybody involved in a good position.

GreenLeaf Custom Home Remodeling and GreenLeaf Landscaping have A-plus ratings with the Better Business Bureau.

However, the City of Toledo said the remodeling business doesn’t have a license; therefore, they can’t pull permits for construction, leaving people like Bishop-Tregea wondering if any of the work is legitimate.

“That’s your hard-earned money that you’re giving to someone with good faith that they’re going to fix and do the right thing,” Bishop-Tregea said.

All of these customers want this to serve as a warning for others and want to see Pickett and GreenLeaf held responsible.

“He just needs to pay for what he’s done,” Theresa Thrift said.

UPDATE:

13 Action News spoke with the attorney for GreenLeaf. He and Bishop-Tregea confirmed that work on the Essex Street home resumed after our story aired.

The attorney admitted there was a gap in GreenLeaf’s work on this home, but said it was due, in part, to alleged “criminal work” of a subcontractor on the job. The lawyer didn’t name the subcontractor.

Bishop-Tregea said she’s been receiving pictures from Pickett of the progress since doing the interview with 13 Action News.

As for the Thrifts, the Michigan couple, the attorney confirmed that an inspector came out and ordered the work to stop because proper permits weren’t pulled.

The attorney said the homeowners were supposed to pull the permits.

When asked why Pickett and representation for GreenLeaf didn’t appear in court after the Thrifts filed a lawsuit, the attorney said he didn’t know why and hadn’t gotten a clear answer from Pickett.

For Mark Bonnell, the attorney said that Pickett wasn’t called about issues Bonnell had with the landscaping work. The attorney also claimed the home doesn’t have an irrigation system which is why some of the work didn’t last how Bonnell anticipated.

The attorney also confirmed that Pickett is taking steps to get GreenLeaf a license. Adding, most of Pickett’s work isn’t in Toledo.

13 Action News also learned that the building our team went to check to get in contact with Pickett is no longer being used, despite the GreenLeaf logo being on the door.

The attorney said the team is working on ways to do better in the future.

Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals