Owner of Sash and Sill appears before judge facing 27 charges of fraud

SARASOTA, Fla. - Appearing once again in front of a judge, this time in Sarasota County, the owner of the window and door installation company 'Sash and Sill' is under arrest. 

What we know:

Todd Hoch faces 27 counts of fraud. 

Prosecutors said Hoch took hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers, without ever delivering any windows or doors. 

He was first charged in Charlotte County for a crime that investigators said has been ongoing for more than a year. 

Investigators expect to see more victims come forward. 

The money exchanging hands from clients to Todd Hoch, the owner of Sash and Sill, allegedly went on for months. 

Previous Stories:

• 'Sash and Sill' owner arrested as dozens of Sarasota County homeowners wait for answers without money, windows
• 'Sash & Sill' owner arrested, facing more than 20 new charges after customers left without money & windows

"February, March 1, March 4, March 11, March 13, March 21st and it goes on and on your honor. He continued to do this despite not providing work," the prosecutor said. 

The State Attorney's Office said he did this, despite knowing he'd soon declare bankruptcy. 

"The defendant himself is basically indigent at this point," said attorney Bartholomew Stoddard who represented Hooch at his first appearance. 

On Friday, Hoch appeared in an orange jumpsuit from the Sarasota County jail. 

"It was a situation where everyone was on board attempting to keep the business afloat. From what I understand, there were about 350,000 in loans from the family," said attorney Stoddard. 

Twenty-seven charges include 17 counts of larceny for failing to refund the excess value of work between $1,000 and $20,000. With 5 counts of larceny for failing to refund excess work between $20,000 and $200,000. 5 counts are for embezzlement for misapplication of construction funds valued between $1,000 and $100,000. 

The backstory:

The investigation started one year ago after dozens of customers contacted SCSO and said they had paid for windows and had not seen their products or heard back from the company. 

Hoch sent a letter to some customers, saying the company had shut down and he was declaring bankruptcy.

"I have exhausted my personal and business resources to overcome the situation. We are currently working on getting as many of your projects completed as possible," Hoch said in an email sent in July 2024. 

Investigators with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office combed through years of bank records from 'Sash and Sill' and worked with more than 30 victims. 

"There was no permits pulled that I could find. There was no materials purchased from any of the vendors that the company typically dealt with," said Detective Ovchar. 

Detective Vinnie Ovchar with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said some victims had signed contacts ranging from nearly $7,000 to $73,000 for new windows and doors. He said more than half made down payments with no services. 

Others who had their projects completed later had liens placed on their properties from unpaid material costs. 

"Only Mr. Hoch knows what he did. I’m not in his head. Any reasonable person would see what he did. And say that he must have known something was happening, he must have known his business was going belly up. But he still continued to take contracts," said Detective Ovchar. 

For clients like Walt Bower, the recent arrest is a feeling of justice. 

"I feel validated that this has been taken seriously, and the authorities have looked into this and where the facts lead," said Bower. 

With implications not only for Hoch, but for those who trusted him to work with them. 

"For me, it just makes me very leery working with contractors and anything going forward with my home. So all that will be in the back of my mind," said Bower. 

What's next:

The judge set Hoch's bond at $135,000.

He is due back in court on September 26th. 

SarasotaCrime and Public Safety