A Huntington man has been charged with allegedly possessing a forged building permit to a customer. The suspect also allegedly did not have a valid business license.
In May 2021 a client contracted with Robert Cortese for a construction project at the client’s home in Great River. The work Cortese was contracted to complete involved installing a pool and building a pool house at the client’s home.
Cortese, the owner of Tool Time Construction, Inc. allegedly assured the homeowner that he would obtain all the necessary permits from the Town of Islip in order to comply with the town’s building code.
In October 2021, Cortese allegedly presented the homeowner with what he claimed was a legitimate Town of Islip building permit after the homeowner repeatedly requested Cortese to provide a copy of the permit to show compliance.
The homeowner reached out to the Town of Islip Building Department after questioning some of the work completed on the project and he allegedly learned that the permit Cortese gave him was fraudulent and not issued by the town. In addition, the client also allegedly learned that no applications for a building permit were ever filed for his pool project. Subsequently, the permit Cortese presented was allegedly fraudulent, and it was revealed Cortese had allegedly never filed any permits with the Town of Islip. In addition, it was discovered that Cortese did not have a valid license to engage in a business as a home improvement contractor in Suffolk County.
On June 25, 2025, Cortese, 37, surrendered to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, and he was placed under arrest. He was arraigned on the arrest charges the same day before District Court Judge Steven Weissbard, for Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a Class D felony. Weissbard ordered Cortese released from jail without bail because his charge is considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set bail.
Cortese is due back in court on August 6, 2025, and faces up to 2-1/3 years to 7 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
“Unlicensed contractors have no safe haven in Suffolk County,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “We continually work with the Department of Consumer Affairs to warn homeowners against hiring unlicensed contractors to work on their homes and caution unsuspecting owners to always check with the Department before signing a contract so they can be assured they are contracting with licensed home improvement contractors on whom they can depend.”
Anyone who may have been victimized by Cortese is asked to call the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at (631) 853-5602.