An East Islip flooring contractor pleaded guilty after admitting he took more than $90,000 from customers for hardwood flooring projects that were never completed and used the money to pay personal debts, Suffolk County prosecutors said.
Leones Martins-Rodrigues, 40, owner of Smart Flooring, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony, before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
During his guilty plea, Martins-Rodrigues admitted receiving more than $90,000 from three home builders in eastern Suffolk County between May 2022 and February 2024.
Prosecutors said the money was specifically intended to purchase and install hardwood flooring in homes in Southampton and East Hampton.
Instead of buying the flooring, investigators found that Martins-Rodrigues emptied the money from his bank account to pay personal debts, according to the district attorney’s office. None of the flooring for the projects was purchased.
“This defendant presented himself as a reputable contractor and stole money meant for flooring inside Suffolk County homes,” Tierney said. “Instead, he used the funds to pay down his own debts.”
Martins-Rodrigues was arrested April 8, 2026.
He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 12, 2027, for sentencing.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Milito of the Financial Crimes Bureau. Suffolk County Police Detective Thomas Henry, who is assigned to the district attorney’s Financial Crimes Bureau, conducted the investigation.
Photo: SCDA
