HITCHCOCK – A disabled veteran says he was scammed by a local construction company.
Frank Godek says his home is in shambles after the home improvement nightmare.
“My fatal mistake is that I’m too trusting,” said Godek.
The military man built his home in Hitchcock almost 30 years ago with plans to live out his retirement on the property.
“Only two ways they are going to get me out,” he says. “They are going to tax me out, or they are going to carry me out.”
In August, Godek says he hired Joe Kusick from Joe’s All Service Company after a storm hit and caused damage to his house. Godek says he’d seen Kusick’s crews working on a neighbor’s house.
After signing a contract, Godek says he paid tens-of-thousands of dollars on separate occasions to the construction company. In total, the 86-year-old says he paid Kusick $38,000.
“The money is gone. I know I’ll never get it back,” said Godek.
According to Godek, construction workers stopped showing up to work in November, and Joe Kusick refused to send paperwork to his insurance company, which made it impossible for him to receive reimbursement for his savings.
Now, Godek is stuck with the bills and the mess.
“It’s taken me years and years to save up this money because I’m retired military on a fixed income,” he said.
Godek talked with the police but was told it was a civil matter, not a legal matter.
Now, he’s hoping to scrap up enough cash to hire someone else to finish the job. He shares his story to help others avoid the same trouble.
“I would like to see him put in prison for what he did, so he doesn’t do this to any other elderly person,” said Godek.
KPRC 2 reached out to Joe’s All Service Company, but no one answered our calls.