A “so-called contractor” who scammed local homeowners out of more than $500,000 for unfinished projects has been sentenced to prison.

Plymouth man Steven Docchio, 59, pleaded guilty to four counts of larceny over $1,200 for using his swimming pool company to defraud Massachusetts homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He was sentenced to 2.5 years in state prison — with nine months to be served and the balance suspended for a total of 10 years of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.

“This so-called contractor made promises to homeowners that he never delivered upon,” Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz said in a statement.

“Through his schemes and scams Docchio victimized these people and stole from them – first their trust, and then their money,” he added. “I am hopeful that with this defendant now going to jail and ordered to pay restitution, it will bring some form of closure to his victims.”

During the height of the pandemic, demand for residential swimming pools surged.

Docchio exploited this demand by providing homeowners with unrealistic timelines and falsely claiming he had special access to building departments and material vendors, prosecutors said.

When confronted about the lack of progress, he repeatedly gave false assurances that materials had been ordered and work would resume shortly.

After collecting substantial payments, Docchio abandoned projects and left pool installations unfinished. In total, he took more than $500,000 from homeowners for home improvement projects that he failed to complete.

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As part of his sentence, Docchio is banned from engaging in any construction or landscaping work during his probationary term.

The Plymouth DA’s office recommended a sentence of 4.5 to 5 years in state prison, followed by five years of probation.