An East Northport man was charged on December 17 for allegedly submitting fake insurance, workers’ compensation, and other certificates to obtain contractor licenses from the Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs (NCDCA) under the name of a company he continued to operate off the books that was legally dissolved in 2011, according to New York State records.
In November 2025, the NCDCA referred the defendant to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office after reviewing licensing documents allegedly provided by Christian Riggi to obtain Residential Contractor Licenses that officials believed were fraudulent.
Riggi allegedly submitted multiple New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) certificates, Workers’ Compensation Board certificates, and lead certificates in connection with biennial License Renewal Application forms to NCDCA between December 1, 2019 and November 30, 2025, to obtain licenses for his company, Hammer Renovations, Inc., purportedly located in East Northport. The company was issued licenses by Consumer Affairs between those dates.
The certificates allegedly submitted by Riggi contained policy numbers, certificate numbers, and listed the defendant as the president, owner and operator of Hammer Renovations, Inc.
Riggi also submitted multiple License Renewal Applications to NCDCA on behalf of Hammer Renovations, Inc. in which, in response to the question, “Have you permanently closed your business or gone out of business?” the defendant allegedly checked the “No” box.
Through the investigation, it was discovered that Hammer Renovations, Inc. did not hold any NYSIF insurance policy or Workers’ Compensation insurance for the time frames of the certificates, the NYSIF certificates the defendant submitted did not appear in the official records of NYSIF, and the information, format, and appearance of the certificates were inauthentic.
The investigation further determined that lead certifications allegedly submitted by the defendant purporting to be issued by an environmental solutions company were not issued by the organization, that the company does not offer a class or certification in the lead certification listed on the certificate, and that the certifications were indeed fraudulent.
Lastly, a review of records of the New York State Department of State: Division of Corporations reflected that Hammer Renovations, Inc. was an inactive company that was dissolved in October 2011 and had not been a registered active corporation since 2011.
The defendant surrendered to NCDA Detective Investigators on December 17, 2025.
Riggi, 52, was arraigned before Judge Lisa Petrocelli on charges of three counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (a Class D felony) and eight counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree (a Class E felony). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on January 12, 2026. If convicted, he faces up to 2-1/3 to seven years in prison.
“This defendant was allegedly operating a business off-the-books and in the dark, using fake insurance documents and other certificates to build credibility and obtain licenses for a company that had not legally existed for nearly a decade,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “This kind of conduct puts homeowners, honest contractors, and taxpayers at risk. Running a business in the shadows without the proper insurance dodges oversight and defrauds the government, leaving consumers exposed. My office will continue to hold these bad actors accountable and ensure that rules meant to protect the public are obeyed.”
NCDCA Commissioner, John (Rick) Capece, added, “The Department of Consumer Affairs remains diligent in tracking down false documents submitted to this office, which constitutes a felony. With new procedures and investigative tools, along with a robust partnership with the DA’s office, fraudulent contractors will be found out and prosecuted. The consumers of Nassau County, and our thousands of honest and properly licensed and insured contractors, deserve no less. We thank DA Donnelly and her staff for this important initiative.”