Sam Robinson claimed to be a desperate man running a building company, who turned to a life of crime because contractors were stalking and threatening his family.
The serial conman's stories did not convince a judge in 2007, who sent him to prison for several fraud offences noting he had "clouded" chances of reforming himself.
NSW Fair Trading is warning consumers not to deal with unlicensed builder Sam Robinson.
A decade later Robinson became the subject of a widespread public warning by NSW Fair Trading because he was working as a builder without a licence, and entering into valuable contracts, only to carry out terrible work.
Robinson, 48, who also goes by the name Bassam Marouche, faced Parramatta Local Court late last month for working while unlicensed and uninsured, and was sentenced to one years' imprisonment to be served as an intensive corrections order in the community.
He was also fined $10,000 and ordered to pay $19,000 to a consumer whom he'd promised to do $62,000 worth of work.
That offence was committed while he was before the courts in an earlier Fair Trading prosecution for entering into contracts worth almost $150,000.
One of Robinson's victims, Carol Nicol, told Fairfax Media earlier this year she lost tens of thousands of dollars to him.
She said Robinson removed the bulkhead in the bathroom ceiling, voiding her home insurance, did not replace door handles, locking her out, and had not passed on payments for a stacked stone fireplace, attracting the ire of a debt collector.
All the while, Ms Nicol was caring for her son, who has cystic fibrosis.
"I'm lost for words, how can another human being do that? How does he sleep at night? He's done this before, so hasn't he learnt his lessons?" she said.
"What's worse is that he knew I was regularly taking my son to the children's hospital, so he knew I wouldn't be home, and he'd lie about when he arrived or the work he was doing."
Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean lauded the successful prosecution of Robinson.
"I'm putting consumers first and want to ensure they're protected from shonks like this who are just out to make a quick buck by hoodwinking their customers," Mr Kean said in a statement.
"I hope Robinson has finally got the message that we are putting consumers first, and will take swift action against any dodgy operators across this state."
In the 2007 case NSW District Court Judge John Nicholson said Robinson had declared himself bankrupt, operated with dual identities, and claimed to be a problematic gambler.
But Judge Nicholson even had doubts about the truth of that.
"I can do little but accept him at his word for there is no evidence before me that links his repeated criminal offending to gambling or, frankly, to anything else."
Article by Stephanie Gardiner appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald
