Orange County Grand Jury Indicts Luxury Home Builder John Falvella on Fraud, Larceny Charges

John Falvella, a Hudson Valley luxury home builder, was indicted by an Orange County grand jury on charges of second-degree grand larceny, multiple counts of third-degree grand larceny, and scheme to defraud, according to local reporting published in early March 2026. Details of the alleged conduct, including victim names, dollar amounts, and the number of individual counts, had not been made public as of this report.

The charges against Falvella represent some of the most serious property-crime allegations a grand jury can return short of first-degree larceny. Second-degree grand larceny in New York typically involves theft exceeding $50,000, while third-degree grand larceny covers amounts over $3,000. Scheme to defraud is a standalone fraud charge that can be filed in addition to larceny counts when prosecutors allege a systematic pattern of deception. Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, whose office handles all felony prosecutions in the county, had not issued a public statement about the Falvella indictment as of publication. Falvella's bail status, arraignment date, defense counsel, and next court appearance were not available in the documents reviewed for this report.

The Falvella indictment arrives as Orange County prosecutors have been pressing contractor-fraud cases aggressively. In a separate matter, a jury in Orange County Court convicted Kevin Hackett, 35, of Wurtsboro, on November 13, 2025, on charges of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. District Attorney Hoovler announced that Hackett, who owned Operation Green Construction, had held himself out as a contractor and agreed to perform work at three properties in the Town of Warwick.

As alleged at trial, Hackett collected more than $38,000 from victims for the first property in May 2023, started demolition, then demanded an additional $20,000. After that payment was made, he demanded still more money and abandoned the job without completing the work or issuing a refund. At a second Warwick property in July 2023, the same victims paid Hackett over $39,000, followed by an additional $24,000 he demanded before walking off the job entirely.

Hackett was remanded to Orange County Jail without bail after the jury returned its verdict and faces a sentencing range of 4 and 2/3 to 14 years in prison. His sentencing was scheduled for January 5, 2026. The two cases are unrelated; no connection between Hackett and Falvella has been established in any of the documents reviewed.

The Orange County DA's office and attorneys for John Falvella did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication. Court filings, including the full indictment listing each count and statutory citation, are pending review.