Attorney General James Announces Sentencing of Window Manufacturer for Selling Shoddy Windows to Public Schools

 

Thomas Parsons and His Company Litex Will Pay $3 Million in Restitution and Are Banned from Doing Business in New York State

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the sentencing of Thomas Parsons and his window manufacturing company Litex, Inc. (Litex), for altering and falsifying laboratory performance test reports for windows that were commonly purchased and installed in K-12 public school buildings and college dormitories throughout upstate New York. Mr. Parsons and Litex pled guilty to Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, on July 15, 2022. Today, Judge Susan Eagan sentenced Mr. Parsons to five years’ probation and Litex to pay $3 million dollars in restitution to property owners who purchased the substandard windows. Mr. Parsons and Litex, which is headquartered in Michigan, are also banned from doing business in New York State.

“I will not allow anyone to take advantage of our public funds or public trust,” said Attorney General James. “Litex and its owner sold New York schools substandard windows and falsified lab tests to hide the truth about their products. Litex will return restitution funds that schools and other property owners lost by purchasing their shoddy windows, and they won’t do business here again. Let this be a warning: you cannot cheat New Yorkers.”

The New York State Building Code establishes thermal performance standards that a window must meet in order to be used for commercial construction projects, such as schools. If the performance standards are not met, the window cannot be used for the project. The OAG investigation determined that Mr. Parsons was responsible for falsifying or fabricating critical information on window testing laboratory reports to make Litex windows appear to be compliant with the Building Code so he could then sell them to unknowing property owners.

Under the terms of an agreement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), if Litex fails to pay full restitution, both Mr. Parsons and Litex will be resentenced. The crime of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree carries a potential term of incarceration of one-and-one-third to four years in state prison, restitution, and a fine not exceeding the higher of $5,000 or double the amount of a defendant’s gain from the commission of the crimes. Just prior to sentencing, Parsons and Litex paid $1.5 million dollars owed.

The criminal investigation in this matter was handled by Detective David Buske and Acting Executive Officer Samuel Scotellaro, under the supervision of Deputy Chief and Acting Commanding Officer Edward Carrasco of the Major Investigations Unit. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes and First Deputy Chief John Reidy.