By Eva Levin
A Fall River man has been sentenced to jail for a commercial grease hood cleaning scam that targeted local restaurants. Antonio Borges, 62, former owner of Borges Cleaning Pro, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with a one-year suspended sentence that will activate if he is arrested for any further offenses within the next two years.
Between April 2022 and October 2023, complaints revealed that Borges deceived Bristol County restaurants by posing as a certified grease hood cleaner, despite lacking the necessary certification. His license was permanently revoked in September 2022 after investigations uncovered that he had conducted fraudulent inspections at at least seven establishments in Fall River, as well as two in Westport and one in New Bedford.
District Attorney Thomas Quinn stated, “The defendant deceived unsuspecting restaurant owners by presenting himself as a certified grease hood cleaner when his license had been suspended. This was not only fraud, but it also created a significant fire hazard that could have led to serious injuries or fatalities among employees, customers, and firefighters.”
Dirty grease hoods pose risks of dangerous grease fires, damage to kitchen equipment, and poor air quality.