A North Belle Vernon mechanic was sentenced Friday to serve up to eight years in prison and ordered to repay 10 former customers nearly $37,000 for work police said he never completed.
John Jeffries Jr., 60, pleaded guilty in January to more than 20 counts of theft and deceptive business practices. The charges stemmed from his failure to install and repair engines at his North Belle Vernon repair shop over a four-month period that ended in October 2023.
According to court records, customers contracted Jeffries to perform various vehicle repairs. In one instance, police said he never delivered on a deal to build a $16,600 race car.
“I want to apologize to all the customers I failed. It is my intention to take care of all of these people,” Jeffries said just before he was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II.
The judge ordered Jeffries to serve a series of concurrent three-to-six-year prison sentences, followed by a consecutive one-to-two-year term for related charges in a separate case.
Jeffries said a 2022 cancer diagnosis and an ongoing dispute with his landlord impacted his ability to complete the work.
“You defrauded these people. You lied to them and you have a history of doing it,” Stewart said, referring to Jeffries’ criminal record, which dates back decades.
In addition to the prison time, the judge recommended Jeffries no longer be allowed to work in the automotive repair industry in any role where he has direct access to client payments.
“There’s a clear pattern of how Mr. Jeffries operates and that’s what I want to stop,” Stewart said.