Richard Koslik, 52, was convicted by Superior Court Judge Maria A. Kahn and sentenced Wednesday to two years in jail, the maximum allowed, on two counts of offering to make and two counts of making home improvements, all without a current certificate of registration, to two Bristol homeowners in 2006.

The case was prosecuted by Associate Attorney General Joseph Rubin and investigated by the Department of Consumer Protection.

“This conviction and sentence should serve as an important reminder to contractors that registration is an absolute legal requirement, and violators face the possibility of fines and even jail.   I will continue to protect consumers and to seek strong punishment for contractors who violate the law,” Jepsen said.

Koslik, who had at least 10 separate prior convictions for similar offenses, also had a lengthy history of serious complaints of poor and incomplete work performance with the Department of Consumer Protection.

“The Department of Consumer Protection has actively pursued investigations of Mr. Koslik for several years, in order to safeguard Connecticut consumers from his business practices,” Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said. “We’re pleased with this outcome, and will continue to work closely with the Attorney General to protect homeowners using all available enforcement tools, including criminal prosecution when warranted.”

The Commissioner advised Connecticut residents to:

• Get to know a contractor as much as possible before you hire him or her. Ask for references from former customers and contact them. Visit the job sites, if possible.
• Confirm that the contractor is registered. Go to www.ct.gov/dcp or call 1-800-842-2649.
• Get more than one estimate, and never assume that an extremely low bid is a bargain.
• Make sure you understand your contract. If anything bothers you, check with your attorney.
• Let your payment schedule correspond to the progress of the work; follow the rule of 1/3 down, 1/3 later and 1/3 when you’re satisfied with the completed project.

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